Flipped
by inufan424
Summary: AU: Two girls. Same ages. Except Kikyo's a model, and Kagome's a senior in high school. Kikyo goes to the same school this year. People notice the resemblance. Kikyo formulates a plan. Why's Doggy Jockface bothering Kagome so much? Inu/Kag
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Miss Kikyo…Miss Kikyo? Wake up," a maid nudged the girl who was sprawled over the white satin sheets of a queen-size canopy bed. The girl groaned and tried to push the hand away.

Her long raven hair lay in soft curly tendrils around her face. The light that shone through the white lace curtains made the girl's flawless ivory skin seem to glow.

She fluttered open her eyes to reveal two mesmerizing orbs of chocolate brown. Her long eyelashes did nothing but enhance their beauty. She stretched her arms over her head and let out a tired sigh. She looked over to the maid and raised her eyebrows.

The maid got the hint and walked into a large bathroom. The girl heard the turn of a squeaky faucet followed by the relaxing sound of water hitting an empty tub. The girl smiled inwardly and stood. Her knee-length silk nightgown straightened out against her long legs. She walked towards the bathroom, her grace like a swan in water.

As she walked, she glanced to the familiar pictures that lined her walls. All of them were of her. They were photos taken for her first portfolio or ads she had starred in throughout her short career. She was at her peak and loving it.

She didn't truly get excited over them anymore. She should show gratefulness towards them all the time; they had given her her fortune.

She was a famous super model. At the start of her career, she changed her name to be more 'unique'. She was known as Kikyo Miko.

_--_

"Kagome! Wake up! You're gonna be late!" called a young boy through a closed door.

On the other side of the door, a girl was sitting up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Sis! Get up!" the boy called again.

"Okay! I'm up, I'm up!" the girl finally replied.

She listened to the boy, her brother Souta, race down the stairs before getting out of her small bed. She pulled up her pink cotton sheets and covers to messily make her bed.

She turned and opened a dresser drawer. She extracted a school uniform and put it on. She quickly brushed her onyx-colored hair. She smoothed some wrinkles out of her green skirt and white shirt, straightening out her long sleeves.

The girl raced down the same stairs and into her family's kitchen. She stuffed some food in her mouth and went back out the door. She grabbed her big yellow backpack, stopping to pat her chubby cat, Buyo, on the head.

"Bye, Mama!" the girl yelled as she walked out her front door. She began jogging down the long steps of her shrine home.

"Wait, Dear! You forgot your lunch!" a woman called after her, holding up a box wrapped in a white cloth. She sighed and turned to Souta. "Bring this to her, please?"

The boy sighed, taking the box.

"Hey, Sis, wait up!" he shouted after his sister. He caught up with the girl. "Mom said to give this to you. You forgot it."

"Thanks, Souta. Bye!" Kagome began jogging again to catch up with a group of girls—her friends—up ahead.

She was a senior in high school…just your average student, nothing special. Her name was Kagome Higurashi.

She thought she had a boring, average life. Little did she know her life was going to veer about ten degrees off average…

**A/N: **Please review and tell me what you think! TTFN!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Kikyo! Hurry Up! You'll be late for the photo shoot!" called an impatient woman, tapping her heeled foot on the polished hard-wood floors and glancing at her watch.

"_Alright_! I'll be down in a moment!" The woman waiting at the bottom of the stairs sighed, annoyed at the attitude this girl inflicted upon her every day. She regretted ever accepting the job of agent for this girl.

She listened to the footsteps of the girl as she scrambled to gather her things—though why she needed to take her time in getting ready for a photo shoot where they do up your hair and make-up was a complete mystery to the agent.

Then, five long minutes later, the beautifully wicked girl came flowing down the stairs, her long hair falling around her in soft curls.

"You're going to have to explain this to the designer. He won't be happy with you."

"Oh, this is my fault, is it?"

The agent raised an eyebrow at the girl—Kikyo—and then she realized what she was implying. "This is in no way at all my fault. I refuse to take the blame yet again for your lack of punctuality."

"Oh, come on, now. Who said anything about that?" The girl smiled her devilish smile that was often plastered to her flawless face.

"Well, we're already late enough, so let's get a move on! Come on, go!" The agent shooed the girl out her front door and turned to lock it, huffing and blowing a stray lock of her bangs out of her eye.

When she turned back around, Kikyo was still standing on the porch, combing her fingers through her hair. "What are you standing there for? Get in the car!"

The agent continued to push the girl to the sleek black car that awaited them at the end of the walk.

"Stop pushing me. I can walk on my own."

The agent let her arm fall to her side, shifting her purse back up to her shoulder.

She climbed into the backseat of the car next to Kikyo, and prepared for her undoubtedly melodramatic reaction to her latest news.

"Kikyo, I've talked to the agency and we've come to an agreement on your schooling."

"What _about_ my schooling?"

"You will no longer be tutored."

"What? Why not?"

"We thought that it would be better if you were able to interact with others that are your age. Though your tutor was relatively close…"

"Yes, and he's doing an excellent job in teaching me."

"I'm failing to see how improving your flirting skills can cause you to learn any _important_ life skills."

The girl opened her mouth but closed it again, rethinking. "What private school will I go to then?"

"Not private, public. You'll be going to Takahashi High School."

"_What_? I'm going to a public school? But why? There's…gangs and violence and…it's _unsanitary_!"

"What makes you better than all the rest of the non-gang students that go there? For your information, Miss High and Mighty, we checked to make sure it didn't have a huge record for gangs and violence! In fact, it was the lowest in the Tokyo school district. You don't even have to move."

"But they're all so…weird."

"Who's 'they'?"

"The _people_. They're so…ordinary."

"They're just as ordinary as you, but they didn't want to be a model. That's all that separates them from you. And that's no way to make friends."

The girl sighed and looked out the window. She was about to do a photo shoot advertising the new fashion line of Yamamoto Yohji, a popular designer in Japan. She would get to choose one or two outfits to keep if she did well on the shoot.

_I don't want to go to a public school,_ she thought. _But maybe I can…improve their style a bit, at least…_

_--_

"Kagome Higurashi…," read off a bored teacher.

"Here!" she huffed as she barely made it to her homeroom.

"Sango Mazuka…"

"Here," said the girl seated next to Kagome, her best friend.

"Inuyasha Taisho…"

"Here." Some of the girls looked over at him, but it wasn't a surprise to him. He was, after all, one of the hottest, most popular guys in the school and most girls had massive crushes on him…even if he had already broken their hearts.

The teacher finished reading off her list and waited for the speaker to start spurting off the morning announcements.

The student's voice came over the speaker, annoyingly cheerful. "_Good morning Takahashi Panthers, here are your morning announcements! The football team will not have another practice until someone fesses up to throwing the mascot into the fountain. Sorry guys. Lunch today will be pizza with garden salad or bag lunch. We will be having a local 'celebrity' joining our school next week, if you can call her that. Miss Kikyo Miko will join our graduating class this year…"_

The kid finished the announcements and everyone was talking about the model who would soon be in their midst. Inuyasha had leaned back in his chair, contemplating this new challenge. He always felt it necessary—though it usually wasn't—to 'welcome' any new students of the female persuasion, that is, if they were to his superficial standards, which Kikyo Miko most certainly was.

"Can you believe that, Kagome? A _model_? Why doesn't she just go off to some hoity-toity private school, where she belongs?" Sango whispered, leaning in her seat to make sure Kagome heard her.

Kagome just nodded, not wanting to say anything, and also not caring at all whether she went to school with a model or not. Just another annoying preppy, popular girl to treat her like dirt or not even know she existed. Yippee.

The teacher started her class and gave a long, boring lecture about the properties of some bizarrely-named scientific chemical used for something that no one cared about, blah, blah, blah.

Kagome took notes, as she always did. She wanted to keep up her grades, and she knew the pattern of this teacher almost instantly. Long boring speech followed by open-note pop quiz the next day, which—big surprise!—no one took notes on. Except for Kagome, of course.

And, being the great friend that she is, she made a copy for Sango, who rarely paid attention in class due to her constant flirting and playing-hard-to-get with Miroku Karasuma, who sat in front of Kagome, diagonal to Sango. This meant that Kagome had to suffer through every compliment, friendly insult, and giggle of their conversations.

As Kagome jotted down the note that told what the chemical could do to the human body—not many good or beneficial things—she noticed Inuyasha staring at her, a rare expression on his face: deep in thought. She looked at him and his stupid, cocky smirk crept across his face, which made Kagome want to slap him.

"What?" she mouthed.

He just shook his head and redirected his attention on a gum-snapping blond across the room. When she looked up to meet his gaze, he winked at her and she smiled and giggled a little. _Pig-headed moron_.

When the bell finally rang, she closed her notebook in one twisting movement of her wrist—a habit she had developed from long classes of note-taking—and caught up with Sango outside the class.

"Why don't you just go out with him? It would relieve everybody of the annoying giggles."

"Go out with whom? Miroku?"

"Yes, Miroku! Who else would I be talking about?"

"I don't know. What was with Inuyasha Taisho staring at you?"

"How should I know? Probably just plotting some prank that's bound to embarrass me, the nerdy girl who actually listens to teachers."

"I doubt that. I've never seen him look like he was concentrating so hard. Hope he didn't get a brain cramp from all his extra thinking," Sango giggled. It was true; Inuyasha wasn't exactly known for his brains. More for his position on the football team: quarterback.

Kagome left Sango and made her way to her locker, which she'd rather not go to, but had to. She quickly exchanged some books for new ones and headed down the hall.

At her next class, she was free of any annoying distractions or cocky jocks. Ah, art class. An old and wonderful friend to her over the years.

She took her seat at the large, wide table that she had all to herself—every student got their own table to work at, due to the size of some projects.

"Good morning class," said the strange but brilliant man they called an art teacher. The class echoed a "Good morning, Mr. Jakotsu," and began their tedious work on each of their own projects. The first project of the year for the whole class was to create something that represented themselves, but with the material or materials they had the most trouble with, whether it was the wheel for clay sculpting or shading with the charcoal.

Kagome had decided to do a project about the sacred tree at her shrine home, called Goshinboku. Her least favorite material to use was pencil, but that wasn't what she was least skilled in using.

Her weakness was clay, and she wasn't enjoying a minute of the giant sculpture she would have to make—yet. She planned on making it with the cherry blossoms on it, so she would get to use the tissue paper, too. She still wasn't quite sure how she would do the leaves, but she'd think of something.

As she dove into a large chunk of clay, shaping and molding, she stopped and examined her work, trying to remember every nook and cranny that tree had. She knew it well; it was her favorite place to go, no matter what the circumstances.

"Ah, Kagome! How's your project coming along?" asked Mr. Jakotsu.

"Fine…I think." She tilted her head, thinking hard to remember the exact curvature of the trunk. She had very close, but something wasn't quite right…

"You think?"

"Yes. I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to make this as exact…"

"Oh, it doesn't have to be exact. Make this…what is it?"

"The sacred tree at my home."

"Right, make this tree how _you_ see it, not how everyone sees it. Anyone can look at this tree and see a tree, but you see something more, correct?"

"Yes…it's my…I don't know how to describe it, but it's my favorite place to be."

"It's your…sanctuary."

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Well, make it look how you see it through your eyes; warm, inviting…you know what I mean?"

"Sort of…yes. I'll try."

"Don't worry, you'll get it."

"Thank you."

Kagome went back to work, refiguring the trunk to how she always liked to imagine it: one nook deeper than the rest where she could bury herself and forget about the world.

After the rest of her classes that morning, she made her way to lunch, stepping into the sack lunch line; she wasn't a big fan of pizza. She got a turkey sub and grabbed a two-percent milk. As she turned, she nearly collided with someone, dropping her milk carton. She went to pick it up, but someone—the victim to her klutziness—already had it in his hand, holding it out to her.

"Oh, thank you…," said Kagome, finally looking up at the person. She could feel her skin turning several shades of red, each deeper than the last. The 'victim' was Inuyasha Taisho.

"You okay?" he asked, as if it were perfectly normal to talk to her.

"Yes…I'm fine." She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her shoulder before she had a chance. "What?"

"I want to talk to you. Kagome…right?"

"Yes."

"You know…you look a lot like the new girl who'll be coming here soon."

"Kikyo Miko? A super model? Do you need your eyes checked?"

He laughed, and everybody turned their heads and saw that they were actually talking. Kagome's current shade deepened even further. "No, not at all; twenty-twenty vision, actually."

"Oh, um…congratulations." Kagome wanted desperately to go and hide somewhere…anything to get away from him.

"But really, you do. Think about it; she has the same color hair, eyes and skin. You're practically twins!"

"Sharing some characteristics doesn't classify us as twins. Would you please get to the point?"

"The point…right. I was thinking—"

"Yo, Inuyasha! Get your ass over here!" called one of the buff, football playing lunk-heads that Inuyasha called friends.

"I'll talk to later." With that, he turned on his heel and walked over to the designated 'jocks' table, leaving a shocked Kagome to stand and almost get squashed by another one of his buddies.

She shook her head—as if to clear her head and forget this ever happened—and made her way to her usual table…designated…'in between people who don't fit in anywhere else so they make friends with each other.'

_The name could use some work…_, thought Kagome.

She ate her lunch, trying to dodge all—if any—of Sango's curious questions about the little 'incident' that happened moments ago.

Did she really look like Kikyo Miko, a beautiful model…?

_No way…silly of me to even consider it as a possibility_.

**A/N:** Wow…I didn't realize how easy this would come to me as I wrote it. Yamamoto Yohji is a real Japanese designer, look it up (that's what I did). Please review, they are greatly appreciated! TTFN!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Fourth story chapter I've pumped out today…I still have to do one tomorrow! (Cries and apologizes to fingers) Also, **I changed something** so you might want to go back and read, but it wasn't huge so **I'll just tell you** what it is. I took Koga out as a student because I remembered the plans I had originally made for his character, so he couldn't be a student that Kagome had already met. Don't question me about it, because I wont tell you.

Disclaimer: I dont own Inuyasha or anything from it. So far, I only own Alessandro, Kikyo's efeminite, Italian photographer. You want to use him? Ask.

**Chapter 3**

"Wonderful, Kikyo! Just wonderful!" exclaimed a somewhat queer, Italian photographer to the girl dressed in a fabulous outfit, picked by Yamamoto Yohji himself, just for her. Though he wasn't very happy about her being over thirty minutes late for the first photo shoot of his fall collection…

"Thank you, Alessandro," said the girl.

"One more outfit and we'll wrap it up!"

Kikyo climbed off of the pedestal she'd been on—with help from the male models, of course—and to the small curtain she would change behind. As she examined the outfit as she put it on, she liked how it looked more and more, and decided that she would want this one if he let her keep anything.

Pushing back the curtain, she had all eyes on her. "Oh, _come bello, il mio amore! Straordinario!"_ exclaimed Alessandro, switching to his native tongue.

"_Ringraziarla, bene il signore!" _replied Kikyo. She knew five languages, especially Italian due to her many visits to Milan. Alessandro beamed with gratitude and pride at her reply, since it was in his language.

After they were done, Kikyo was delighted to hear she could keep an outfit—as usual. She chose the one she had just worn and they wrapped it up for her and carefully placed it in a bag like the ones from Yamamoto's store.

Swinging the bag slightly and a hop in her step, she exited the photo shoot, agent in tow.

"Kikyo, you really shouldn't swing that; you could damage the clothes."

"Hm? Oh, right…" She had been so caught up thinking about this whole 'schooling' situation that she didn't even realize she'd been doing it.

She climbed into the same black car and waited to be told what she had to do next.

"Why don't we go to lunch?'

"Okay…"

The agent leaned forward to address the chauffer and told him what restaurant to go to.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Kagome, come on! Why wont you tell me anything?" complained Sango as the walked to their next class.

"_Because_, there's nothing to tell," said Kagome for what felt like the millionth time.

"There has to be _something_. He even laughed. This is so big! What if he wants to ask you out?"

"I highly doubt that, Sango. Get rational."

"Come on, please? Not one little detail about your conversation?"

"Okay! I'll tell you after school. I'll tell you the whole conversation, if you'll leave me alone about this!"

"Okay! Let's go; we're gonna be late."

'_And whose fault would that be…?'_

Through the long, boring period of world history, Kagome was hit in the side with a folded up piece of paper. She snapped out of her bored silence and looked at the floor, where it landed. Then she looked up to see none other than Inuyasha looking at her, as if he was willing her to bend over and unfold the paper with his eyes.

So, she did. She looked it up and down before her eyes settled on the first word.

_Kagome, _

_Meet me after school outside the gym._

_Inuyasha_

'_So, meat-head can actually remember a name, eh? There's a surprise.'_

She looked up to meet his almost hopeful eyes. She wanted to say no, but his eyes were so deep and mesmerizing that she could only nod her head. He smiled and turned back to his paper, probably scribbling a caricature of the teacher.

**A/N: **Sorry, really short chapter (shortest one today!), but I don't want it to be really long just because I wanted to finish the school day. Plus, I'd have to write more about Kikyo, which I'm really not in the mood to do. I'll either write another chapter today or tomorrow. TTFN!

If you want to know what the stuff in Italian means, just ask.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Now, let's finish this first day up…

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing revolving around Inuyasha. I only own the photographer, Alessandro, and Kikyo's agent, Natsumi.

**Chapter 4**

As Kikyo ate her salad, she stared out the window past her yammering agent and looked at nothing particular. She was thinking about her new high school. She wondered if she would be able to make friends.

She knew that the kids there might laugh at her for thinking it, but it wasn't really a silly thought. They might be too intimidated or feel she already has enough friends and doesn't need more. There was the other possibility that they accept her as one of them, just a teenager trying to finish high school and get on with her life.

"Kikyo? Kikyo! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Natsumi."

"No you weren't! Kikyo, honestly, you need to learn to pay attention to people when they speak to you."

"I do pay attention. When it's important information for me to know."

Natsumi huffed and crossed her arms, but she said nothing more. They finished their lunch and walked out onto the busy sidewalk.

"Where are we going next?" asked Kikyo.

Natsumi took out her sidekick and looked through a calendar and several schedules. "The rest of the day is free. Perhaps…shopping or meeting some friends…?"

"I just want to go home."

Natsumi was surprised by the request. Usually Kikyo went for one of the two suggestions given. "Okay, I'll call the limo."

She took out a cell phone and had a brief conversation with their usual chauffer, then hung up and said, "He'll be here in a few minutes. We'll just wait here for him."

Kikyo nodded and stood to the side, out of the way of others on the sidewalk. Natsumi did the same.

Several minutes later, as promised, the sleek black limo pulled up to the curb and Kikyo and Natsumi got in. "Where to, ladies?"

"Home," said Kikyo. He and Natsumi exchanged glances, to which Natsumi shrugged her shoulders and the chauffer pulled back onto the street. Kikyo looked out the window and thought more about what public school would be like. She'd only ever gone to private school…

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

Kagome, instead of being relieved at the last bell, was unhappy and glared at it, cursing it for ending the day and making her have to talk to Inuyasha again.

She gathered her books and Sango appeared at her side once she was out of the classroom. "So, I believe there's a certain promise that is to be kept right now."

"Sango, I cant…not yet. He wants to talk to me again outside, and I told him I would. Maybe then he'll leave me alone…"

"Why would you want that? He's only the hottest guy in school and he's showing interest in you! You should be happy!"

"Hottest, maybe, but also the one with the biggest reputation for being…friendly with every girl he comes across. I'd like to avoid the friendliness, thank you very much."

"You are the strangest girl I've ever met."

"No, remember that one girl…"

"At the carnival? She was weird, but she would have taken advantage if she were in the same situation. Therefore, you're weirder."

"Your philosophy makes no sense at all to me. And I don't plan on trying to make sense of it, and I don't plan on going out with anyone whose name starts with an 'Inu' and ends in a 'yasha'. Got it?"

"Fine. You're still weird though…" she mumbled to herself. "I'll meet up with you at your house."

"If the conversation lasts long enough for you to get there. Bye."

Inuyasha stood waiting for the girl he'd talked to at lunch right outside the front door, so he was sure not to miss her.

'_Kagome was her name…_' he thought to himself.

He got so distracted with his extra thinking that Kagome almost slipped past him. He touched her on the shoulder and she spun around, surprised.

"Oh, Inuyasha. Didn't see you there," she lied.

"Yeah, almost missed you, too."

"So…what is it that you need to talk to me about?"

"Right. I was wondering…would you help me out tomorrow after school with a report? I don't understand what we're supposed to do and I thought maybe you might know…"

"What class?"

"World History."

"Can't you ask one of your friends? I mean, why ask me, of all people?" Kagome thought the first question came out kind of mean, but there was no other way to ask it.

"Well, they all are going to a party and the report is due the day after tomorrow."

'_Big surprise, a procrastinating jock who doesn't even understand the assignment we've had for almost two weeks now. Funny, they never think to ask the teacher…_'

Kagome sighed and reluctantly said, "Fine, I'll help you. But I won't do all the work, if that's what you had in mind."

Inuyasha grinned. Kagome had never noticed until now what a great smile he had. And his other features, such as his eyes, were nice too… "Thanks. Should we do it at my house or yours?"

Neither, Kagome wanted to say. She certainly didn't want him at her house, but she didn't really want to go to his house either, especially if Sango was right about his interest in her and he tried to pull something…

Kagome sighed again and said, "Your house, I guess."

"See ya tomorrow. Thanks, again, Kagome. Bye."

Kagome was shocked he still remembered her name and then she realized a better option than either of their houses—the library—and smacked her palm to her forehead. He was already getting into a car and it was too late to say it now.

'_Damn it all…_' she thought.

**A/N: **Alright, so, as usual, I wrote twice as much about Kagome as I did about Kikyo. No surprise there, really. Kagome's more enjoyable to write about. For me, anyway. (and for most people…) TTFN!

(I just was about to write a new chapter, and I remembered I wrote this one a while ago! Der!)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Alright, so maybe Inuyasha's reason for talking to Kagome was sort of…half thought through, but I'll get a good reason…eventually…

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own Inuyasha, deal with it! (But I do own, however, Alessandro and Natsumi and several other characters that have yet to show up.)

**Chapter 5**

Kikyo woke up and sleepily reached for the buzzing alarm with a slender hand. She got up and looked out the large window to the right of her bed, pulling a thin, lace curtain aside. She sighed as she saw the still-dim sky. Why should people get up when the sun is still asleep?

She went to her bathroom and turned on the faucet of the large tub. It began filling with steaming water and she took a moment to glance at herself in one of the big mirrors. She scowled, putting a hand to her messy hair and then the purple smudges beginning to circle her eyes.

She looked back to the clear water filling her tub, and dipped a foot in, followed by another. The hot water made her skin pulse as it adjusted to the temperature, almost too hot to be comfortable. She sunk down into the water, thinking about the few days she had left until she became a normal student.

'_To be accepted as one of them would be…the most I could ever ask for_.'

She sat in thought for several minutes before grabbing a sponge and pouring soap onto it, squeezing it until it foamed. She slowly moved it over her smooth skin, the slightly rough surface of the sponge prickling as she trailed it over her arm.

She soon finished and leaned back until the water soaked in up to her hairline. She raised her head back up, now feeling as though her head weighed three-times as much. She pulled a hand though the wetted mess, trying to smooth out tangles. Much to her dismay, her hand caught half-way through and she grabbed some soap and lathered it over her scalp down to the ends that disappeared into the water.

She finished her bath a short time later, all the tangles smoothed away. She went to her large closet with her towel wrapped tightly around her, hair dripping onto the floor. She pulled out a shirt and long pants and put them on, not caring how she looked today. She would spend her time preparing for a new, ordinary life and try to act like a person who wasn't so privileged. Once she finished she combed though her hair and went downstairs.

She walked past her answering machine, pressing the button to hear the new messages that were left.

"_Message one. Tuesday, twelve thirty-four a.m_." It made the beeping sound and a familiar voice spoke.

A woman with a slur to her voice spoke with music playing loudly in the background. "Kikyo, where are you? Answer your phone! You should have come out tonight with us. The new club that opened is awesome. And _someone_ has been asking about you…"

"_End of message_," said the machine voice.

Kikyo knew who the woman meant by 'someone.' And she was not at all pleased by the news. 'Someone' was a fellow model who she met a few times in passing, but said 'someone' was determined to get her to go out on a date with him. She rejected him time and time again, but the man wouldn't leave her alone.

"_Message two. Tuesday, eleven forty-five a.m_."

A woman with a business-like voice spoke. "Hi, this is Asuka Katsumoto, and I'm calling to remind you of the coming end of your contract with the Hazumi Modeling Agency. We would like to speak with you about possible renewal of your contract and other options. Please call us back as soon as you can."

"_End of final message_."

Kikyo stopped fumbling with the bag of wheat bread as she listened to this. She completely forgot about this. She thought she still had a while longer. She needed to have an agency.

She looked back down at the twist-tie of the bread and shoved it aside, suddenly not hungry. She went to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle and went to her garage, taking her car keys and purse off the hook next to the door. She would go there now and get this all taken care of.

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

Kagome sat in her art class, thinking of how she would make the branches for her tree. All she had was a trunk, and she needed the whole thing to remain structurally stable, at least until it was graded. The trunk was finished, and she had carved it to have the right texture for the bark.

'_I could…make the branches look like arms…and say they are supposed to be…protective_?'

She decided she liked the idea and threw on her smock, rolling and patting out a new lump of clay. To make them weigh less, she would wrap it around Styrofoam, but she would have to make that part the right shape as well. She decided to make the hands out of a light material and attach them to the ends of the Styrofoam-clay pieces.

The hour went by quickly and soon lunch came. She hoped—no, prayed she wouldn't have a strange encounter with Inuyasha again. She couldn't stand the jocks and they only taunted her for being so school-oriented. Well, most of them…the rest simply ignored her.

She turned with her tray and was pleased to see a straight, clear path to the table she sat at. She still had no suitable name for it, but that would change, hopefully. She couldn't describe it as one simple characteristic due to the fact that every person at it was very different. Maybe she would soon think of something clever to categorize it under.

She slid her tray onto the table and sat down. "Hey, Kagome."

"Hi, Sango."

Sango looked at her expectantly for several seconds, but when Kagome said nothing, she became impatient. "Alright, why did Inuyasha want to talk to you?"

"It's not at all what you thought. He just wants help on some history assignment, and that's all."

"It still could be what I thought. He could have asked anyone, he has practically the whole school willing to do almost anything for him, and he asked _you_."

"I really don't think he feels that way. It could just be that everyone else was too busy or something."

"People don't use 'I'm busy' as an excuse when Inuyasha Taisho asks you for time-consuming help," she said. "They _make_ time."

"Alright, if I keep it as an option will you drop it?"

"For now."

"Thank you." Kagome turned to her food and stared at her it for a moment, before picking at her roll, taking a gulp of milk and pushing the tray aside. She felt stupid for ever admitting to it, but she was nervous about spending time with Inuyasha. At his house. In somewhat close quarters.

She pulled out a book from her bag and blocked out the world around her, letting herself be submerged into the story.

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

Kikyo pushed open the fogged glass doors of the Hazumi Modeling Agency, an action she'd done many times before. She was greeted with a smile from the receptionist behind a tall, round desk in the quiet room. She looked to her right to see the usual whitish-pink Lotus flowers. Then she walked to the desk and addressed the woman.

"Hello, Miss Miko. We weren't expecting you today…is something wrong?"

"I got a message about my contract with the Agency and I was wondering if I could speak to Ms. Katsumoto?"

"Uh, let me check her schedule quick." The woman turned to a computer and typed in several things, scanning the screen with her eyes. "She's in a meeting right now, but it'll be over in about twenty minutes. If you have the time, you can wait for her."

"Yes, I have time. Thank you."

"No problem."

Kikyo walked over to the comfortable chairs that sat on the left side of the room. A television flashed a news channel, the volume so low it was difficult to hear. She looked to the small wooden table that was to her left, and grabbed a magazine.

She flipped through the pages of health, beauty, and fitness tips before grabbing a different one. This one had many neon-colored flashy titles, all about the recent happenings of celebrities. Most of them, she knew, were vicious rumors created by the media so that they sold more issues.

She soon tired of the magazines and stared at the screen of the television, not really seeing anything. She glanced at the clock on the wall and then at her hands, studying her nails.

The voice of the receptionist carried, and Kikyo heard some of her conversation.

"…yes, she's sitting in the waiting area…are you ready to talk to her yet? …alright then…yep, buh-bye." She hung up the corded phone and looked up. "Miss Miko, you she's ready to see you."

Kikyo inclined her head slightly in a nod and got up, walking gracefully towards another fogged-glass door. She entered a wide hallway and went to the third door on the right, labeled _Asuka Katsumoto. _

She pushed the handle and opened the door into a large office with a nice view. A woman with wavy, black hair pulled into a tight pony-tail sat behind a big, mahogany desk, blue eyes fixed on a computer screen. Her thin eyebrows were pulled together slightly in concentration and she looked up, straightening her features as her full, pink lips pulled into a smile.

"Kikyo, so good to see you. Come, sit." She gestured to one of the chairs that rested in front of her desk.

Kikyo did and folded her hands in her lap. She looked up and waited for the woman to finish closing things on her computer. She looked back at Kikyo. "You're here about your contract, I assume?"

"Yes."

"Well, what are your thoughts on renewal or finding a new agency…?"

Kikyo didn't answer right away, organizing her thoughts. "I can't go into a new contract right away, not yet. Natsumi told me I'll be going to a regular high school until I'm finished with school, so I won't have time to attend any shoots or runway modeling."

"So…what are you asking, exactly?"

"I intend to sign another contract with this agency, but I was wondering if I could sign it now and have it start after my graduation?"

The woman seemed to cock her head slightly in thought. "I suppose we could arrange something like that. I can request a special terms contract, but I'm almost positive you'll have to do at least one photo shoot or catwalk gig a month."

"I'm sure I can manage that."

"Alright, I'll give Mr. Hazumi a call and discuss it with him, okay?"

"Yes, thank you very much. I really appreciate it."

"I'll call you with news of it within a week."

"Alright."

"Is there anything else you needed, while you're here?"

"No, that was all."

"Well you have a good day, then," said Asuka, smiling.

"You, too. Goodbye."

Asuka didn't reply, but Kikyo didn't mind. She was already up and heading for the door when she'd said her goodbye.

She stepped out into the now-sunny morning and walked to her car, her keys dangling in her hand.

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

Kagome scowled at the clock for indicating the final school bell of the day would ring in less than two minutes. After school, she had to help Inuyasha with his history report and— no matter what Sango said or thought—she would hate every minute of it. She was already annoyed at herself for nearly getting butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought about it, which was often, so she'd felt a tad queasy all day.

She sighed mournfully as the bell rang and most students bolted for the door, not listening to the teacher add quick comments about the assignment. She slowly stacked her things and shoved them in her bag, taking her time.

When she exited the building, she saw Inuyasha talking with a few friends. He usually got a ride with one of them, and Kagome hoped he wouldn't insist she did today, too. She'd lived down the street from him since…well, since forever; he surely had to know that.

She began to walk down the path and when she got close to him, she could hear him talking. He finished his sentence and turned his head, looking at her. The friends walked away and Kagome blinked in confusion. She looked back to Inuyasha and was surprised to see that he'd fallen into step next to her.

"Aren't you going to get a ride from one of them?" Kagome asked, slightly panicky.

He looked at her, an almost surprised expression gracing his face. "No, why would I?"

Kagome was a little dumbfounded. "Uh…because you do every day?"

"But…I did ask you for help yesterday, right? I didn't imagine that?"

"No…" Kagome wouldn't quite catch on, even though she was at the top of her class. "I mean, yes you asked. No, you didn't imagine it."

"So…what's the problem?" He looked at her as if _she_ was the one nearly failing every class, and he was the genius.

"I don't understand why they're leaving without you."

"I'm walking home today."

Kagome felt like she had been slapped into realization. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't quite understand," she mumbled.

She nearly jumped when he laughed. She looked up at him, eyes wide. "What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just…the face you were making. You looked like you were going to cry just now."

Kagome felt her face heat up. She looked down at the pavement she walked on. '_Probably because I was acting completely idiotic, which is not me at all. And also because you actually did something considerate of someone else's feelings…for a minute_.'

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, it's just…never mind." He looked down now, and Kagome could have sworn she saw a flash of red on his cheeks before his long silver hair fell from his shoulder, acting like a curtain.

Alright, curiosity got the better of her. "What's wrong? Tell me."

"It's nothing, really. I'm fine."

'Nothing_…keh_. _What's wrong with me? I never get nervous in front of girls like this. And I don't think that this girl in particular would _like_ it if I told her she looked cute when she was embarrassed.'_

**A/N: **That's right, I did it! I'm not just limiting myself to Kagome's and Kikyo's thoughts. I'm like…_God_ in this, so I can do whoever's thoughts I damn well please! I must say, this is turning into one of my favorite fics that I've ever written. So, please review. Yeah, that's all I really have to say. TTFN!

_(hehe...God)_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I know I usually start with Kikyo but…I'm just too excited to write about Kagome! And nothing will really happen with Kikyo until she gets to the school, which is a couple chapters away. Therefore, I will not write about her for a couple chapters. Deal with it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, _Good Housekeeping_ magazine, _Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition_, Google, or Porsche Carrera GT. (Phew, that was a long one!)

**Chapter 6**

Kagome and Inuyasha walked in an awkward silence. Mostly, they looked at the pavement, avoiding eye contact. That's what Kagome did, anyway.

'_I'm really starting to wish I'd never agreed to this_,' she thought.

'_Why did I ask her? It was a stupid idea, and all I'll be able to concentrate on is…her_,' he thought. '_And I don't think she even wants to do this_.'

Oh, if they could only hear each others' thoughts. Kagome would have to tell Sango she was right, and Inuyasha would want to crawl under a rock…that is, if he was affected by how she felt about him at the moment.

They walked past Kagome's house, which was across the street, and on to his, which was just a few more houses down on the side they walked on. Kagome gulped as they turned onto the neat sidewalk and towards the front door. It was a tall, white house that looked to be two stories high. The front door was red and a sign hung on it that said 'Welcome.' Kagome was a bit surprised by this.

'_Well, it's not like the house is going to match the personality of the kid. It'll match the personalities of the parents_,' she thought to herself, mentally laughing at her foolish judgments of his home.

He opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter first. A surprise, on Kagome's part. First, he asks her to help him do homework. Then he acts actually acts nice. Something had to be up. This was completely non-jock-like behavior.

She stepped into a cozy area where she could hang her coat. She turned around and Inuyasha motioned for her to follow him. He went through a kitchen and a beautiful woman with long, dark hair sat at a table. She looked up and smiled at the two. "Hello, Inuyasha. Who's your friend?"

"This is Kagome. Kagome, this is my mom."

"Please, dear, call me Izayoi." She raised her hand to shake and Kagome hesitated. She glanced up to Izayoi's kind eyes and reached out hers as well, suddenly comforted and feeling welcome. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Kagome replied politely. It really was. This woman had a comforting way about her, and just speaking to her made Kagome feel a little better.

Inuyasha continued to a set of stairs and began hiking up them, which Kagome followed. They turned to the second door in the hallway which had a sign on it that read 'Keep out.'

'_Typical_,' Kagome thought. '_I should've known_. Keep out_…moron_.'

Inuyasha pushed it open and went inside. He glanced back as Kagome stood just outside the doorway.

"Aren't you coming? I have a computer in here."

"Well, where's your books? And your notes?"

His mouth twisted into a sheepish half-smile. "Uh…I don't have any notes."

Kagome sighed inwardly and said, "You can use mine. I brought them just in case. Your book?"

"I have one but…"

"It's in your locker." He nodded. "I brought my book as well."

'_No wonder he always gets such bad grades. He's never prepared_.'

Kagome still stood. "Is there anything else I forgot?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, the sign said keep out." Kagome decided that she would be nice, and she thought that making jokes was a great way to do that.

He grinned and Kagome, again, noticed his nice smile. She nearly shook her head to clear it of the thoughts that drifted into her head, and she smiled slightly too. She took a few paces into his room and took it all in.

She was taken by surprise. In fact, it was nearly the opposite of what she expected. She was prepared for it to smell like something died in it, but it smelled rather nice. And instead of looking like a twister ran through, creating a path of destruction, it looked like it could be in the magazine _Good Housekeeping_. There were a few articles of clothing on the ground, but that's to be expected. Men are men.

On the walls she expected inappropriate calendars and posters of girls from _Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition_, but it was hung with what were presumably his favorite sports teams and bands.

There were hardwood floors, with a thick red carpet that stretched out about a foot all around his bed. The bed was to the left against the wall when you stand at the door way, a night stand on the other side. Up by the window in the corner was a wooden desk with a chair. A computer sat in the middle and there were drawers that lined the sides.

"Inuyasha, come bring this up to our guest," called Izayoi.

"Why? What is it?" he replied.

"Snacks and tea."

Inuyasha looked to Kagome and hesitated about leaving her alone, but his mother called once more, this time sounding more like a command than a polite request. Inuyasha turned and walked swiftly to the stairs.

Kagome stood in the middle of the room, confused about what to do while she waited. She could hear him barreling down the stairs followed by a quick argument between him and Izayoi, who was obviously waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Kagome could faintly hear them.

"Inuyasha, it's rude to act like that in front of a guest."

"Why couldn't you bring it? You're almost there."

"It's rude! Now take this. You shouldn't leave her waiting."

Inuyasha sighed. "Fine. Thanks."

"Oh, Inuyasha," Izayoi called.

There was a pause. "What?"

"She's very pretty," she said in a softer voice. "Polite, too."

Kagome could picture him rolling his eyes. '_Right, like he would ever think that_.'

"Yeah, I know," he replied. Kagome froze and stared at the door.

'_Sango…Sango was right?! He just wants to get into my pants_?' Kagome could tell that her face had contorted somehow, not sure whether to be angry, unsurprised, or hurt. She quickly smoothed her features and stood straighter.

Before she knew it, he was back in the room with a tray that had what looked like an assortment of cookies and small sandwiches and two cups filled with tea. He set it on the bed and picked up a cup, handing it to Kagome. She took it, and inhaled the sweet steam that rose from it, sighing.

She hadn't realized her eyes closed, and when she opened them, Inuyasha was staring at her. She quickly looked away and took a sip, praying the heat in her face was from the tea.

'Pretty_…no. Beautiful._'

Kagome scowled faintly, and turned her attention to her bag. "We'd better get started. It's due tomorrow, right?"

Inuyasha nodded slightly in response, and sat in a chair in front of a wooden desk. He leaned back until the chair was balanced on the two back legs, and but his hands behind his head. "Where do we start?"

Kagome walked to her bag and took out a light blue folder, flipping it open and pulling out the rubric they were given for the assignment. Inuyasha looked at the packet she held curiously, sitting up in the chair. When he finally realized what it was, he spoke up. "I have that, you know. Here."

He grabbed his bag and took out a battered, yellow folder. It had scribbling all over it, and in the middle what looked to be a large sword he drew in black pen. She looked over it as he shuffled through the papers inside. There was a well-drawn dragon in silver pen that stretched across the back. She looked at some writing scribbles and then to something that was in detailed lettering. It looked like…'I x K'. Kagome froze for a moment, and then thought about all the girls in the school whose name started with 'K'. It could even be that model that's coming to school! _K_ikyo. She felt ridiculous to have thought it meant her.

He finally pulled out a bent packet of paper, identified as the rubric. Kagome set hers down and said, "My mistake. How silly of me to have thought you wouldn't have it." Sarcasm lightly laced her tone.

He laughed shortly, and said, "Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be too hard to believe I forgot it."

"It says you need to choose a war that happened outside of Japan. The report should be no less than fifteen hundred words, and written in twelve-point font. It is encouraged to choose a war that was not widely known, or learned about in previous education." Kagome paused and looked at Inuyasha, who was looking at his own packet but had a stature that seemed like he wasn't listening. When he realized she'd stopped reading, he looked up to meet her eyes.

"What?"

"Are you even paying attention? This is important."

"I am! I was just thinking."

Kagome restrained the desire to roll her eyes, and said, "About what?"

"What war I'll do the report about."

Kagome was genuinely surprised by his answer, but tried her hardest to hide it from her face. "Well?"

"I dunno…"

"We can research it on the internet, if you can't think of any."

"What did you do yours on?" Kagome thought he meant to copy hers, but he quickly amended by saying, "So I don't choose the same one."

"Wars of the Roses," she finally said.

"The roses?"

"Yes, the roses." Kagome fought back a glare.

"Hm," was all he said in reply. "Well, lets Google." He turned his attention to the computer in front of him, skimming through a list of wars that happened in Asia. "China…Qing Dynasty….Indian subcontinent…"

"Try Europe." He glanced to his left, surprised to see Kagome standing next to him and leaning forward slightly. She shifted when he didn't do anything. He quickly clicked on a new link that brought him to a list of European wars.

"Crimean War, Russian Revolution." He paused when he passed over a link about the Wars of the Roses, but Kagome didn't notice. He continued scrolling, fighting the urge to know what she wrote about. "Napoleonic Wars…"

"See anything you might be interested in?"

He looked at her again, failing to stop the thought that immediately entered his head. '_Yes_…you.' She looked at him expectantly, and he realized she was waiting for an answer. "Umm…ah…"

"We could search individual countries," Kagome pointed out. Inuyasha didn't miss the plural she used, for some reason liking how it sounded more than he wanted to.

"Sure. What country?"

"Hm…try France."

"French Wars of Religion, French and Indian War…"

"Those are too common. Try…Italy."

"Wars of Italian Independence…there isn't many to choose from."

"Greece, then."

"Peloponnesian War, Greco-Persian War….Trojan War." Inuyasha paused at the last one. "How about the Trojan War?"

"Okay," Kagome said, trying to smile as encouragingly as she could. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, thinking.

Inuyasha watched her inquiringly. "What?"

"Well, it's just that technically they don't know if the Trojan War really happened."

"How can they not know?"

"It may have been based off of Greek mythology. Haven't you ever heard the story?"

"No." Kagome was actually surprised, rather than not. "What is it?"

Kagome stared for a moment. "Why don't you read it?"

"I'd rather _you_ tell me," he said. "If you don't mind, of course."

"Oh, okay." She paused, thinking of the beginning. "It all started when Zeus overthrew his father and assumed the title of king of the gods. He learned that his son would, too, take his position eventually. The prophecy spoke of Thetis, a sea-nymph with whom he had an affair, that her son would be greater than him. Zeus then had her betrothed to an already elderly human king, Peleus.

"All of the gods were invited to their wedding, all except Eris, goddess of discord. She was outraged over not being invited, so she stormed into the wedding banquet and threw down a golden apple on the table. She said it belonged to the fairest.

"Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all reached for the apple, thinking they were the fairest. The dispute was settled when Zeus said that Paris, prince of Troy and thought the most beautiful man alive, would choose whom the apple belonged to. The three goddesses tried to bribe him. Hera promised him power, Athena promised him wealth, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite, and she promised that Helen, wife of Menelaus, would be his.

"Paris went to Sparta and stayed with Menelaus as a royal guest. Menelaus went away to attend a funeral one day, and Paris abducted Helen, though she may have gone willingly. They also made off with a large portion of Menelaus's fortune. Paris and Helen were married in Troy." Kagome paused when she noticed that Inuyasha was staring at her intently. "What is it?"

"Nothing, you're just a good story teller." Kagome blushed lightly and Inuyasha almost smiled. "Please continue."

'_Remember, Kagome, this is all an act …Isn't it?_' she thought to herself. She frowned inwardly.

Kagome nodded slightly. "When Menelaus returned to find that Helen was taken, he was furious. He called upon Helen's old suitors, whom had all promised long ago they would back Helen's husband to defend her honor. Most did not want to go to war, and one even tried to pretend he was insane. One of the previous suitors, Cinyras, king of Paphos, promised Menelaus fifty ships. The first ship was commanded by his son, but the other forty-nine were all clay toy ships with clay tiny clay sailors. They dissembled soon after being put into the water.

"After a short struggle, the Greek fleet assembled and took off in search of Troy. Finding Troy proved difficult, and they first landed in Mysia. The Greeks thought that the Teuthranians had Helen, even though they denied such accusations. The Greeks still brought siege over the city. The Greeks ultimately prevailed, but suffered heavy casualties due to Telephus, king of the Teuthranians, and were still without Helen. Telephus, in the course of the war, was wounded by Achilles.

"With no where else to turn, the Greeks returned home.

"The Trojan War might not have happened if Telephus hadn't gone to Greece in the hopes of having his wound cured. Telephus had been told by an oracle that only the person who wounded him could cure him. Achilles assented and Telephus told the Greeks how to get to Troy." Kagome stopped to take a breath, and then the room went black. "What's going on?"

"I dunno…must be a black out," replied Inuyasha. '_Hm…in the dark. With Kagome. In my room. Interesting twist._' There was silence, and it soon stretched into awkwardness.

"Maybe I should go…" said Kagome, finally breaking the quiet. She started to try and feel around for her bag, stuffing her folder back in. She began to feel her way to the door, when she stubbed her toe on the leg of his bed. "_Ouch!_"

"What's wrong? Kagome?" She could hear him shuffling around the drawers of his desk. She stood up, letting go of her throbbing toe and tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She heard a drawer close and him standing up from the chair. "Found it!"

"Found what?" she asked warily. She could tell he was walking closer to her, and she almost took a step back when she felt his hand on her arm. She shuffled one foot back slightly, her knees starting to buckle from the edge of the bed. His hand was still on her arm, and she couldn't help but notice how warm it was.

"Whoa!" he said suddenly, and then it all happened in one swift motion. She felt him falling forward and she herself fell backward. She was grateful for the bed being behind her…for a moment. His chest started to press against her hands, which she had held in front of her to keep him from crushing her. Her back landed on the soft bed finally and he was on top of her, arms holding him up on either side of her.

She stared in shock for a moment, then thought about the pose they were in. She felt something hard pressing against the side of her arm, something in his hand. She felt when his thumb moved and a switch clicked. A beam of light from the flashlight he held streamed forward and made a rough circle on the wall. What she finally noticed was that he wasn't making any movements to get off of her.

'_This is _way_ better than going to a party or a football game_,' thought Inuyasha.

'_Why won't he get up_?' thought Kagome. '_And why do I fell like I don't care that much if he doesn't yet_?'

They sat staring at each other for another minute, and just when Kagome was thinking he might actually close the small gap between them and kiss her, she heard a knock on the door.

"Inuyasha? Kagome? Are you two okay?" called Izayoi, opening the door. Kagome saw another flashlight sweep across the room as Inuyasha struggled to roll over. He barely managed to sit up when Izayoi spotted them, and studied their expressions suspiciously. Kagome looked flustered, confused while Inuyasha looked surprised and guilty. "You two alright?" she asked again.

"All good. Must be a black out," Inuyasha replied, almost seeming like he was avoiding eye contact with his mother. Kagome was sitting up straighter now, and she looked around, trying to find her bag yet again. Inuyasha handed her his flashlight, and she took it thankfully, the skin of their hands lightly touching. Kagome stared for a brief second before she looked down on the floor to see her bag where she'd dropped it.

"I should probably go home," she said quietly. "My mother might be worried…about the black out, I mean."

"Of course, dear. Inuyasha can show you the way out," Izayoi said kindly. She looked at Inuyasha and raised her delicate eyebrows when he just stared back. She tilted her head towards the door ever-so-slightly and he jumped up, looking at Kagome.

She pushed the strap of her bag up on her shoulder and took a step towards the door. They walked back through the house, stopping at the front door. Kagome turned to face him, and he was unexpectedly close to her. She ducked her head but looked up when he began to speak. "I can give you a ride home, if you like."

"Thanks, but I think I'll walk," she replied, mentally rolling her eyes. '_Figures, he doesn't know I live down the street. It's less than five minutes away_.'

Kagome looked out one of the windows that lined the sides of the front door and saw it had started raining. "Do you want to borrow an umbrella?"

"No, I can make it." She glanced out the window again when a sudden flash of lightning followed by deep rolling thunder sounded. "On second thought…I think I'll take that ride, if you don't mind."

Inuyasha grinned. "Okay, follow me."

He led her to a garage, and when Kagome was about to ask how the garage door would work without the power, she noticed it was already open. She looked at the only car that sat in the large garage. It was one of the nicest cars Kagome had ever seen—one of the most expensive looking, too. "Wha…what kind of car _is_ that?"

Inuyasha walked past her, going around to open the passenger door for her. She slowly followed. He grinned again and said, "Porsche Carrera GT."

It wouldn't have bothered her if he hadn't said it so smugly. "How did you get this? It looks expensive."

"Birthday present." Again with the smugness!

"A birthday present? How can your parents afford this?" she asked in disbelief.

"My dad is the chief exec at some big company," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh," she replied, not knowing what else to say about his incredibly sleek and shiny black car. It looked like it could block out all the light on the brightest day. She finally slid in and said a quick, "Thanks." He smiled a half-smile and closed the door.

He soon was in the driver's seat and turned the keys in the ignition, revealing how quietly and smoothly the engine ran. "So, where do you live?"

"Um, down the street," stated Kagome.

He furrowed his brows slightly. "Really?"

She nodded, smiling slightly. She laughed when he slapped his palm to his forehead. "I should have remembered that! The yellow house, right?"

"Yep, that's the one." He shook his head.

"I can't believe I forgot that. Duh." He laughed at himself and Kagome laughed quietly with him. His faded a few seconds before her own, and he heard her true laugh for the first time.

He pulled out of the garage and turned right, heading towards her house. It was a short ride, but a ride home nonetheless. He turned into her small driveway and Kagome could see a slight movement in the curtains. Before she got out, she turned to Inuyasha and said, "I'm sorry I wasn't much help on your report. Maybe…the teacher will give an extension."

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out." He winked at her and she just blinked at him. He smiled and she noticed how nice it was _again_.

'_Gotta stop doing that_!' she thought. She climbed out of the car and hurried to the front door, noticing how Inuyasha was waiting to make sure she got inside. She gave him a quick wave before shutting the door behind her.

'_How come I keep feeling butterflies in my stomach whenever I think about him_?' she thought as she headed to her room. '_I used to despise him and everything he stands for, but now I'm not so sure_…'

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Inuyasha re-parked his car in the garage and went inside, thinking about that last look on her face. She didn't look at all like she did when they were walking home. Rather than an expression of regret, she honestly looked like she had a halfway decent time. She even laughed and smiled.

When he walked through the kitchen, he tried to be quiet so his mother might not notice him, but…well, she's a mother. "Inuyasha, do you like that girl?"

"Uh…yeah, why?"

"I think you should invite her over again sometime. I think you two look nice together." Only his mother could make him blush. And she succeeded yet again in making him flush red in embarrassment. He sighed and headed upstairs.

**A/N:** You know you thought of something other than a flashlight before. Please, it's me we're talking about. Sorry this chapter took so long to write, but I finally got there. I would like to thank penz rite stuf for helping me make this chapter a lot better. She helped me add so many things to this that made it fit together more clearly. Please review. TTFN!

**PLEASE **VOTE IN MY POLL SO I CAN CHOOSE A NEW PENNAME!!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Hm, how does one follow up a chapter like the last one? Guess I'll just have to wait and see how it pans out…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha.

**Chapter 7**

"Kagome!" Sota exclaimed once she was nearly up the stairs.

"What is it, Sota?" she asked, exasperated.

"Who was that? That was such an awesome car!" He went on for another minute about the coolness of the car and how he wished he had one, etcetera, etcetera.

"It was just a…friend," Kagome said, not knowing exactly what to call Inuyasha. "Sota, I've got homework to do. You can talk about it later, okay?"

He sighed, disappointed. "Okay." He trudged off to his room and Kagome went to hers.

She flopped backward onto her bed, but soon sat up when she remembered the last time she had been in that position. She shook her head and took out a book to study from.

After about ten minutes of rereading the same paragraph, she decided she couldn't concentrate and went back downstairs to the kitchen. Her mother was there, cooking dinner. "Oh, hello, Kagome."

"Hi, Mom." Kagome wondered why her mother hadn't asked her about the black-out or anything. It had ended soon after she walked through her front door. Kagome sat down and watched her mother finish up their dinner, setting it around the table. Then her mother called for Sota and her grandpa, who both eagerly sat at the table, stomachs rumbling.

Kagome started to pick up some dishes when she finished and brought them to the sink. Once she finished them all, she went back to her room to try and concentrate on studying for a test she had the next day.

All the while, she was trying to figure out why exactly Inuyasha would express such an interest in her. He always went for the preppy cheerleaders, not the withdrawn, studious girls.

Then Kagome began to wonder if his reputation was rightfully built, claiming he was such a hit with all the girls. Maybe he just liked to date a bunch of different girls. It could be…even if it is fairly unlikely, it was a chance. And it made Kagome feel better.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Inuyasha! Dinner's ready!" called his mother.

Inuyasha sighed and stumbled down the stairs. He was trying to read the Internet's version of the Trojan War, but he couldn't think straight and kept having to reread things. He wished it were Kagome telling him the story, not the Internet.

He sat at the table, his mother and father already seated at the two ends. He looked at the empty seat across from him, and scowled. "What, is Sesshomaru too good to eat with us all of a sudden?"

Izayoi gave him a hard look and said, "No, he's out for the evening. I wish you wouldn't talk so poorly of him."

Inuyasha would have said something about how Sesshomaru's forte was talking down to others, but he thought better of it after Izayoi gave him a final warning glare. He looked back at his plate and ate his food, not really tasting anything thanks to his bad mood.

After he finished, he went to go back to his room but Izayoi scolded him about how he hadn't done anything all day so he had to clear the table, clean the dishes, and wipe the counters. He almost mentioned that going to school was something, but then he thought of what little he did there other than sit in a hard plastic chair and listen to teachers babble on about things nobody cared about.

After he sped through his chores he raced up the stairs, skipping steps, before his mother could think of anything else for him to do. He sat back in front of his computer and tried to concentrate on something about a wooden horse. After five minutes, he turned off the monitor and looked around his room for something that could hold his interest for a good length of time. He finally settled on calling Miroku to see how the party went.

"Hello?" answered Miroku, slightly too loud when he spoke. Apparently the party was still going judging by the loud music in the background.

"Hey, Miroku. How's the party?" Inuyasha asked.

"You really should've come, it's probably one of the best parties of the year," Miroku replied, practically yelling into the phone. Inuyasha held the receiver away from his head a few inches.

"I told you I couldn't because of a stupid history report that's due tomorrow."

"So, anything happen with that girl you had helping you?" Miroku asked suggestively.

"No, not really."

"What? Come on, _something_ had to have happened."

"I'm tellin' ya, she's a lot different from the usual girls."

"She can't be that different. Are you serious, nothing happened?" Miroku sounded disgustingly disappointed. Well, he could stay disappointed for all Inuyasha cared.

"Yes, now give it a rest. She started helping me with the research and then it started storming and it blacked-out, so she went home early."

"Is that what happened earlier? It was storming?" At least he was easily distracted.

"Yeah." He paused, thinking warily about whether or not he was willing to ask his next distraction. "Anything interesting happen there?"

Miroku launched into a detailed story about how most of the girls were dressed skimpily, how he thought this girl or that girl was especially 'gifted', etcetera, etcetera. As long as he didn't mention Kagome again, Inuyasha was willing to suffer through a repeat of nearly every conversation he had with Miroku, the perv.

Miroku's talking took up another half-hour before his reception cut out or his phone died, whichever one Inuyasha didn't know—or care. He grabbed a magazine off his bed-side table that was about cars and flipped through it. He glanced at the clock an hour later and decided it was the earliest time he could manage to go to sleep without feeling like a kindergartener.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Kagome stared at the ceiling of her room, counting the number of glowing plastic stars for the fourth time—there were ten. She rolled onto her side and tried to grasp sleep again, but her mind was skipping around to different thoughts, both important and completely meaningless.

She sighed heavily and turned again, squeezing her eyes shut. She went over the algebraic equations she had studied for her upcoming test and hoped she could bore herself to sleep. She gave up on that before she started mixing them up, not wanting to fail the test from over-thinking them.

She was finally able to drift into a light, unproductive sleep. She wasn't looking forward to the dark half-moons that would shadow her eyes the next day, but at least she didn't have to think about anything for a couple hours.

She woke with a start the next morning as her alarm went off, blaring her favorite radio station. She quieted it and swung her legs over the side of her bed, stretching. She grabbed her uniform off the hanger and sprinted to the bathroom. She was ready too early, so she decided to make herself a bigger breakfast than usual.

She was finished just in time and she swung her bag over her shoulder, her big algebra book pressing against her back. Kagome headed out the front door and down the street to her school.

When she looked up from the walk, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head fully to the side and stopped. "Inuyasha? How long have you been walking there?"

He stopped too. He looked like he was fighting back a smile. "You're not very observant of your surroundings in the morning," he said. "Are you?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "At least I don't sneak up on people like a freaky stalker."

He grinned. "Touché."

"Did you want something?"

"No, I just thought I'd walk to school with you since you were walking alone." He paused. "What were you thinking about anyway?"

"Huh?"

"You were pretty deep into your own little world. You didn't even look up when I called your name before."

"Really?" Kagome couldn't believe she was able to block out the world like that. It made her wonder how often she did it…

"Yeah, really," he said. "So, what had you so distracted?"

"Oh, nothing really…" Nothing she wanted to tell him.

"It had to be something."

"Nope," she replied simply. She turned and began crossing the parking lot of the school, not wanting people to think anything of the fact that she walked to school with Inuyasha. She hurried to her locker and was the first person into her first class.

She wasn't too happy that she had her first period with Inuyasha. It was history. At least she would get to hear his excuse for not having his report.

Once the class was filled—and Kagome was utterly aware of Inuyasha sitting behind her—and the teacher walked in, he made an announcement that had Kagome's mouth hanging open. "Due to the black-out cause by last night's thunderstorm, your reports about wars across the world will be due tomorrow. I still expect them to be up to the same standards and requirements that I always expect—with no exceptions." He looked sternly at a few students who usually came up with the craziest excuses that they seemed to completely believe themselves every time.

Most of the class let out some sort of approval of the short extension, but Kagome was shocked. She thought for sure the teacher would say they should have had it done already.

Kagome glanced down at her desktop and a folded triangle of paper landed in front of her. It had come from behind her. It said her name on it in a messy-yet-elegant scrawl she vaguely recognized. She had an empty, nervous feeling in her gut. She unfolded the paper with trembling fingers and smoothed it out. She glanced up to make sure the teacher wasn't watching.

_Come over tonight and help me finish? _

_--Inuyasha _

She tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. She scribbled out a quick reply—which was rather messy due to her still-quivering fingers. She folded it back up and held it out behind her. It was taken from her hands quickly, like it had been much anticipated.

_Sure. What time?_

He smiled to himself and wrote as quickly as he could—his hands were not shaking. He set the paper in her waiting hand.

_I've got football practice after school today, so unless you want to watch, I can come pick you up at seven. _

Kagome wasn't sure she liked where this was going. 'Pick her up'? That indicated that they would be farther away than a five-minute walk down the street. And she did not, under any circumstances, want to watch the pea-brains—en masse—as they ran around a muddy field and tackled each other over a stupid ball.

_Seven it is._

Inuyasha grinned in anticipation and victory. Kagome slumped in her seat ever-so-slightly.

**A/N: **Mwahaha. She is being forced to spend time with him and get to know him—two things she does not want to do. Don't worry—she won't be so anti-Inuyasha for too much longer. Well…until Kikyo comes. I estimate one more chapter until Kikyo makes her next appearance. Which can mean one of two things: a) she appears halfway through/at the end of the next chapter, or b) she arrives in chapter 9.

Please review! I love to hear what you guys think! TTFN!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Kikyo folded her arms across her chest as she sat in her limo. She was on her way to school. She looked up at Natsumi. "I can't believe you're sending me to a public school."

"If you want to keep your contract, you have to pass and finish school," she said, probably for the fiftieth time.

Kikyo glared out the dark window and huffed. "Whatever."

Natsumi sighed and shut her eyes, rubbing her temples. Her mouth was set in a thin, tight line. "Such a drama queen," she mumbled to herself, barely audible.

"What?" Kikyo demanded. "What did you say?"

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "Nothing," she stuttered. "I didn't say anything."

Kikyo raised an eyebrow suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes. "Hm…okay."

She watched as the neat trees of her neighborhood turned into the less-neat lawns of the middle- and lower-class community with whom she would now attend school with. She sighed.

--

A crowd of students gathered around the front of the school, awaiting the arrival of the model. Many of them would claim they were outside because the weather was especially nice this morning, but Kagome knew better. She pushed and shoved her way through the mass, trying to make her way to the front doors.

Some people threw startled looks her way, as if she had grown a third eye or something, just because she didn't want to see some rich, beautiful snob get out of a car and walk up a sidewalk that was otherwise familiar and plain. It wasn't a freaking red carpet event, just a Monday.

Kagome huffed when she realized she'd somehow been turned around and was nearly back to where she started. She stood on the tips of her toes to see the right direction to go, and set a straight path. She would force her way through, whether people were willing to cooperate or not.

Just as she was about half way through the crowd—people in her path still glaring in her direction—she heard some girl shout, "She's here! There's her limo, she's here!"

The students all tried to see over each others' heads, trying to catch a glimpse of the model. Kagome rolled her eyes and tried to continue her path, but when she ran into a road block—a 6'5" burly football player, to be exact—she gave up and stood still, arms folded across her chest.

The sidewalk was suddenly cleared, and Kagome was the only one who didn't shove up against the newly-formed wall of people to make the path completely empty.

She turned slowly, ignoring more glares that were shot at her. She saw the model, long dark hair flowing flawlessly in a low pony-tail and clothes fitting exactly right. She was walking—almost strutting, like the path was a catwalk—with long strides, quickly closing the gap between her and Kagome.

When Kikyo was an arm's length away from Kagome, she stopped and tilted her head slightly. "Hi," she said to Kagome. Whispers and gasps echoed through the crowd. "I'm Kikyo."

Kikyo held out a hand to shake, and Kagome looked at it, puzzled. She looked back at Kikyo's face, and Kikyo raised one of her prefect eyebrows. Kagome reached out her own hand and grasped Kikyo's, then said, "I'm Kagome."

Kikyo gave Kagome a small smile, and then continued on towards the front door. Kagome forgot her earlier quest for the same door and stood, confused. She turned back to the metal doors in time to see them swinging the last few inches shut with a solid _click_.

The crowd was in an eerie silence, and then everyone began making their way towards the door, as if nothing had happened. Kagome slowly trudged that direction as well, wondering if perhaps she was too quick to make assumptions of Kikyo's character.

She went to her first class and was surprised to see a group of students huddled around the desk next to the one she usually sat at. Then she realized that Kikyo must be the one in the spotlight. She took her seat and was, again, acutely aware of Inuyasha sitting behind her.

She hated that she was. Especially since she'd been expecting the worst last Thursday when all he did was drive to the huge library downtown, rather than going to the local one with a much more meager selection. She had been mentally kicking herself for trying to prepare to reject him if he tried to kiss her or something. What was worse is that she had thought about what would happen if she didn't.

She jumped when his breath was suddenly brushing the hairs on her neck. She shivered involuntarily. "So, you already met her, huh?" he asked her.

She turned her head, but he was still leaning forward, his face just inches from hers. "Yeah, I guess," she replied coolly, then turned her attention to perfectly organizing the things on her desk. She could tell he leaned back but she could still feel his gaze on the back of her head.

When the bell rang, only a couple students went back to their desks. The teacher came in and promised detentions to those who weren't back to their seats in the next ten seconds, so that got them in order rather quickly.

"Alright, class," said the teacher in a bored, almost tired voice. "As you can see, we have a new student today. Miss Kikyo Miko, welcome. Why don't you come tell us a little about yourself?"

Kagome almost laughed out loud. Like most every person in the room hadn't researched every aspect of Kikyo's life already. She probably had very little left in her life that wasn't known by nearly everybody. Nevertheless, Kikyo stood and walked quietly to the front of the room to stand next to the teacher.

"Well, I'm eighteen and I model for the Hazumi Modeling Agency," she said in her calm, smooth voice. Kagome heard the person behind her sit up straighter. Kagome restrained an eye roll. "Some of my hobbies include archery, martial arts, and working on my new cosmetics line."

"Any questions for Kikyo before we start class?" the teacher asked. Several hands rocketed up. The teacher pointed to one of the girls.

"When does your cosmetics line come out?" the girl asked anxiously.

"I have yet to finish it," Kikyo told her. "It'll be made with all natural kinds of herbs and flowers, but I still can't decide on some things." Kikyo smiled at the girl. The girl was clearly shocked and ecstatic at the simple gesture.

The teacher pointed to another girl student. "What belt do you have in martial arts?"

Kikyo chuckled slightly. "Black."

The girl smiled wonderingly and looked away. One more student was called. When the teacher pointed in Kagome's direction, she glanced to the sides. Then the person sitting behind her spoke. "Are you single?"

Kagome felt the blood rush out of her face. So much for his strange, lone interest in her. She couldn't put reason to why she felt upset, and something else she couldn't quite comprehend—jealousy, maybe?

Kikyo, probably the most collected, popular person in the school at that very moment, blushed. Inuyasha made her blush with a simple question. The teacher took that time to announce that it was time for class to start, and Inuyasha was left without an answer.

--

After the final bell rang, the schedule of a single student was spread around for everyone to know. Kagome had four classes with that particular student. That single student was Kikyo.

Kagome heaved a sigh as she made her way down the street, towards her home. She tried not to look disappointed or exasperated when she heard the footsteps of someone approaching her from behind. She was tapped on the shoulder.

"What?" she snapped.

"Okay, never mind," said Inuyasha, feigning hurt.

"What is it?" she said in a more even, calm tone. As even and calm as one could manage after a long day like hers.

"Nothing," he replied. She stopped and stared incredulously at him. He stopped as well, and had the nerve to look surprised at her sudden reaction. "What?"

"You take the trouble to come up to me, tap on my shoulder, and act like you have something to tell me, and then have the nerve to say it was _nothing_?!" Kagome's tone started out somewhat calm, but gradually rose in octaves and showed her sudden flare of fury.

Inuyasha took an automatic step back. She was glaring ferociously up at him. Though she was rather small next to him, she looked like she'd be able to take him on at that moment and win. "Whoa, calm down Kagome." He raised his hands up in front of him as if bracing himself.

She continued to glare up at him for a moment—a very long moment, to Inuyasha—and then her face started softening, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "You're right, I'm sorry," she sighed. "It's just been a…"

"Long day?" he offered, seeing she couldn't think of the right word.

Kagome pursed her lips, thinking. "Kind of," she finally said. "There's just been so much talk about…" She trailed off, since he probably had heard a lot of the talk that day as well. The difference is he didn't look the least bit annoyed from it. Delighted, maybe. Infuriatingly delighted, to Kagome.

"Kikyo?" he finished again, though she wished he would have just left it implicit.

Suddenly, she was infuriated at him again. But she tried to keep the acid from coloring her voice like she would have liked it to. "Interesting questions she was asked this morning, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose," he replied, impassive. "And you didn't ask her any—even though you were the first one she met."

Kagome remembered this morning all too well. The way Kikyo had strode up to her (and made Kagome look short and clumsy, even though they were nearly the same height) and held out her slim hand and introduced herself (making Kagome look rude and snobby for staring, even though she was sure her face had been confused, not vulgar).

Kagome sniffed. "True, but it was unexpected," she said in a tight, controlled voice. "And by your knowledge of it, you were one of the ridiculous people out front this morning obsessing over the arrival of a _student_."

"No, I wasn't," he told her, and he fought back a smile when her cheeks reddened slightly. "Like you said, lots of talk today about our new classmate." This time he grinned at her, and she raised an annoyed eyebrow at him. This only made him grin wider.

Kagome turned and began walking—rather quickly, so as to get away from him—and she was not at all happy when he matched his pace with her own. She glanced in his direction, but her mouth was set in a stubborn, tight line.

Inuyasha finally became impatient—which never took long—and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said simply. "I'm just in a hurry."

"Hurry to what?"

Kagome almost smiled. "A hurry to get away from you," she told him, still looking straight ahead.

"Oh," he said. "I see. And why, exactly, do you want to get away from me?"

"Many reasons, most of which you wouldn't understand. "

"Try me," he pressed.

"Well, I don't know, Inuyasha," she said bitterly. "Maybe because you haven't left me alone for the past week. Or maybe because I thought—" She abruptly stopped herself, not willing to admit that _she thought_ he liked her but she was merely another girl to him.

"What?" he asked, suddenly curious. "You thought…"

"I thought…" she said, trying to keep her voice steady as she tried to think of something. "I thought that…you, um, would have wanted to, ah, not walk home or something…" she finished pathetically.

"You thought I would have not wanted to walk home or something," he repeated, as if trying to make sense of it, "and that's why you're in a hurry to get away from me?"

"Umm…" Kagome began, thoughts filing through what she should say at an unhelpful, rapid pace. Then she glanced around her. "Oh, what do you know? Already made it home!"

She let out a fake, almost hysterical laugh and nearly ran across the street to her house, while Inuyasha stared after, agreeing with her telling him he wouldn't understand most of her reasons for wanting to get away from him.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Sooooo sorry for the hideously long wait! My dad's comp broke so he's been using this one, along with my mom, whom I already have to compete with for it, and then I have a cold and felt like shit all weekend and on Monday, and then there's school..._school_. Rather self-explanatory, that one.

Anyway. Oh, and there's my own personal laziness (mixed with a liking of sleep).

**Chapter 9 **

One week. That's it. That's all it took. One week. It only took one week for Kagome to nearly screech at someone for talking about Kikyo again. _Again, again, again._

She stood abruptly, and the teacher shot her a questioning look. "Bathroom," she said quickly, and then getting a nod from the teacher.

She rushed out of the room and into the hallway as quickly as she possibly could. She thought about just leaving. As in leaving the school. She shook that idea off and settled for a few quick breaths of calming, fresh air.

She wanted to sprint down the hallway. She didn't. She didn't do anything she wanted, because everything she _wanted_ to do would get her in trouble.

She pushed the door open and sucked in a much-needed gulp of air. She breathed out slowly. It calmed her mind. A little.

And then—

"What, did you have a panic attack or something?"

Her eyelid twitched ever-so-slightly. _Oh, why today?_

"No," she said harshly. So much for the fresh air. It felt tainted now. Like the stuff inside. "What do you want?"

He _actually_ thought about it. Or pretended to. "A lot of things," he decided.

She raised an annoyed eyebrow. "Rhetorical," she said through clenched teeth.

"Ah," he replied, unfazed by her rude attitude. "You skipping?"

"No, of course not!" she snapped. "I just needed some fresh air."

"It doesn't seem to be helping you," he commented.

"Well, Inuyasha," she began in a fake-sounding polite tone, "it _was_ helping me, and then I heard this extremely irritating noise and it brought be back to my previous mood."

"What was it?" Inuyasha asked, clueless. _Moron_.

She looked at him for a short second. He didn't catch on. "_You're voice_!" she screamed at him. He took an inadvertent step back.

And then he blinked once. "Okay, then," he said slowly. "Good to know."

His ear twitched. He whispered, "Teacher's coming!"

She froze and then did the only thing she could think of: She ducked. She crouched down and put her hands over her head, as if it were a tornado drill. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and kneeled down next to her.

The doors were set a couple yards apart, the ones to the left leading outside and the right leading to the hallway. Luckily, they only had a window on the top, and the rest was solid and opaque. They would not be seen unless the teacher peered into the small window or opened a door.

Again they were lucky. Most teachers didn't care enough to really look for a student who could be skipping classes. Inuyasha slowly stood and then looked down at Kagome. "He's gone, you know. You can stand up."

"How do you know?" she whispered frantically. He raised an eyebrow and twitched one of his ears. "Oh…right."

She stretched out of her crouch and looked through the little window. Then she looked to the door that led outside. Then back again. "You know, you could skip."

She stared at him in horror. "Are you _serious_?"

"Sure." He paused. "I'll go with you."

"Um, I think I'll just go back to class," she said quietly. She hated how, for a second, the idea sounded _really_ inviting. Then she remembered Kikyo. She couldn't suppress the light groan.

"What?" asked Inuyasha curiously.

"Nothing," she said. She glanced at him. He was still watching her, confused. "I'm just so _sick_ of hearing about Kikyo."

He smirked. She ignored him and continued, in a mock-awed voice. "_Oh my gosh! Did you see her take that breath of air_?"

Inuyasha laughed. She tried to fight her grin, and failed. They were both laughing when a voice asked, "What's the joke?"

They both froze, too. Kagome looked over her shoulder, a couple doors down, to see Kikyo's head peering through the door she held cracked open six inches. She turned her head back and flinched.

Inuyasha had the ghost of a smile still on his face. He didn't flinch, since…well, Kagome thought of several reasons why he wouldn't. She didn't really like many of them. "Nothing," he said in an even voice.

"It must have been funny; I could hear you laughing all the way down the hall." She looked between the two curiously, but mostly looked at Inuyasha. Kagome wanted to grind her teeth together for a short moment.

Before Inuyasha could reply again, Kagome interjected. "I should get back to class."

As she turned to pull open the door, Kikyo asked, "You're Kagome, right?"

Kagome paused, not really processing the words at first. "Yes," she said slowly.

"I remember. My first day, you were the first person I met," Kikyo said in a gentle tone—not that her voice was ever really harsh, as far as Kagome had heard.

"Uh, yeah." She glanced at the door again. "I really need to get back to class."

"Sure," Kikyo replied. "I'll see you around? I'd love it if we could be friends."

"Um…yeah, sure." Kagome shot a quick glance at Inuyasha, who seemed like he had no intention of getting back to his class. "See you."

As she hurried down the hall, she heard a tinkling laugh. Of course. Of course he's making her laugh. That's what he does. That's how his strategy starts.

--

"Natsumi, I won't be home right away," Kikyo said into her phone.

"But, Kikyo, you have an appointment at four," Natsumi replied, exasperated.

"Cancel it. Reschedule it. Whatever. I've got more important plans." Kikyo hung up then.

She began walking down the sidewalk. If she walked home, it would be a long walk. She had no intention of doing so. She saw her target, and she sped up, her long legs carrying her swiftly towards the person she was catching up with.

She tapped the person on the shoulder, causing said person to swing around. "Oh, Kikyo," breathed Kagome. "You scared me."

Kagome wondered if it was true what Inuyasha had said, about her having her own little world and not paying attention to important things like cars, and street signs, and dogs in yards…

"I was wondering if we could hang out," Kikyo said right away.

"Oh, um…" Kagome hesitated. Kikyo got the impression she'd already made plans.

"Or another time, if it works better for you," she added. "I can clear my schedule for practically whenever."

"Could I…call you?" Kagome asked. She didn't really want to, but what else could she say? No? That's just rude. Not that she was against that, but this was a person she had no desire to be on the bad side of.

"Sure," Kikyo said as she pulled a slip of paper from her purse, and it seemed to be a business card. She pulled out a pen and flipped the card over, jotting down two phone numbers. "This one's my cell, and the other is my home phone."

Kagome took the card and stuffed it in a pocket. "I'll…call you, then. Bye."

Kagome hurried to get home now. Kikyo quickly called her limo driver, who was there in minutes. She stared after Kagome with a smirk. She would have fun with this one. Definitely.

--

"Mama, I'm going out," Kagome called towards the kitchen. "I'll be back in a few hours."

She hefted her backpack strap further up on her shoulder and walked out the door. As she headed up the street, she thought about her strange day.

She walked up the drive of a house and up to the front door. She was about to knock when she noticed the door bell. As she reached for it, the door swung open, nearly making her jump out of her skin. Inuyasha stood in the doorway, grinning.

"Miss me?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "You wish."

He stepped aside and she walked in, his eyes following her every movement. "You're right," he told her.

"So, what am I helping you with today?" she asked, ignoring his previous statement.

"Um…" He turned and grabbed his backpack, rummaging through it and pulling out…a textbook? What a shocker! He actually brought it home.

Kagome read the subject in large bold letters across the book. "Biology?"

"Yep," he said, popping his lips on the "P".

She sighed lightly. "Let's get started then. Kitchen?"

"No. My mom decided to make a big dinner today. We'd be in her way."

"So…"

"My room." Kagome didn't want to say it, especially if that hadn't been what he had been going to say. So she hadn't. And she also was trying to avoid it, after the black-out incident. But the weather was great. Sunny and not a cloud in sight.

They headed up the stairs after grabbing sodas from the fridge and greeting Izayoi, who had been ecstatic about seeing Kagome again.

She didn't stop outside the door this time, but she still stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not sure whether to pull a chair up to the small desk or sit on his bed. She would rather like to avoid getting anywhere near that bed again…


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"What does this mean?" asked Inuyasha, pointing to a question on the paper.

Kagome glanced at it and tried her best to explain it so he could understand it. She wondered how he passed any of his classes when he barely brought the material home and needed this much help just to understand it.

When they finally finished—about an hour later—Kagome stood and stretched, then sat back down with a sigh. Luckily, Inuyasha had pulled up a chair for her right away at the desk without waiting for her to sit somewhere. She had mentally shouted with relief.

"Do you have anything else you need help with?" she asked.

He thought it through for a moment before saying, "Nope."

"So we're done? I guess I can go home now…"

"You could," he said. "Or you could stay for dinner."

Kagome bit her lip nervously. She didn't want his mother to get the wrong idea about them. Or Inuyasha, now that she thought about it. She just now realized he had scooted his chair quite close to hers over the past hour.

She stood again and grabbed her bag. He raised his eyebrows.

"I-I'm just calling my mom," she said quickly, rummaging around for her phone. He nodded.

After she had the quick conversation with her mother—where, unfortunately, her mother was (as always) completely fine with her staying—she looked back at Inuyasha, who had been watching her the whole time. It unnerved her how aware he seemed of her actions.

"So, what should we do until your mom is done with dinner?" she asked, mentally flinching at how open that was. "We could go see if she needs help," she added.

"She won't. She's very particular about how things are done when she makes stuff," he said, standing up and taking a couple steps closer. Kagome tensed slightly, and he must have noticed because he smirked.

"U-um. Well, I'm out of ideas. It's your house." She looked up at him expectantly.

"We could go hang out somewhere else that isn't," he suggested.

He watched as she considered it and didn't miss how she hesitated so much. "You could bring another friend, if you want. I could call Miroku."

"No, it's fine," she said quietly.

"You seem nervous about being alone with me," he commented. Her cheeks flushed a light red. He smirked again.

"How about we just go for a walk?" she said finally.

"Sure," he said casually. She glanced around her for a moment before deciding to leave her stuff, since she would be coming back. She headed for the door which she was surprised to see being held open by him. "After you."

She quickly rushed through the door and towards the steps. "Mom, we're going for a walk," he said as they passed through the kitchen. Izayoi smiled and nodded slightly.

As soon as they were on the sidewalk, they decided to go to the small park that was just a couple blocks away. It had a small stand where a kind old man was always selling ice cream.

They didn't talk much on the way there. Mostly because Kagome kept spacing out as they passed things she never really noticed before. She really had to start paying attention, she decided.

When they got to the park entrance, they immediately decided to get two small cones of ice cream. Kagome was going to insist on paying for her own, but she realized she'd forgotten her wallet in her bag. She reluctantly told him what flavor she wanted and he got the same.

They sat down to eat on one of the blue metal park benches. They laughed occasionally when they thought about how silly it was; two high-school seniors in a little park eating little ice cream cones that they'd had when they were four, the creamy ice cream still dripping down the sides and making their fingers sticky.

When they finished, Inuyasha suggested they go to the small water fountain that had a hose attachment nozzle on the bottom and wash their hands off. Kagome agreed, remembering how she had always turned the pressure too high when she was little and gotten splashed with the water that bounced off the pavement.

"So, what do _you_ think about Kikyo?" Kagome asked, her curiosity taking over her desire not to talk about that person. "Are you as obsessed as all the others?"

"Not obsessed." He paused. "She's pretty nice, for a big-time model or whatever," he said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess," she said softly. "I don't see why everybody is so crazy over her. She's no different than any of us, besides getting paid to have her picture taken and to walk around in expensive designer stuff nobody here can afford."

Inuyasha laughed. "True."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Kagome watched as little children spotted the ice cream stand and tugged on their parent's hands to get some. She smiled when each and every one of them eventually gave in to the pleas of their children.

Her head was facing the completely opposite direction of Inuyasha, but he still watched her. She didn't know it, though.

And she didn't know what he was about to do, either. "Kagome," he said.

Kagome spun her head around, an automatic reaction to when someone says your name. Before she knew what to think, Inuyasha was kissing her. Her eyes widened for a moment, but …she couldn't help but notice how strangely nice it felt. She was falling into the kiss before realizing what she was doing.

Inuyasha was holding the side of her head with one hand, her own hands tangled loosely in his hair—something she'd been dying to touch for a while now. After almost thirty seconds, Kagome realized she couldn't let this happen. She opened her eyes and pulled his head away.

"No, stop," she whispered as she freed her lips. He still let his hand stay on the side of her head, his expression confused. She slowly reached up and pulled his hand away, though he resisted a little. "Why did you do that?" she demanded.

"Why not?" he asked in his usual slightly-sarcastic tone, not waiting for a reply. "I just wanted to, I guess."

"Well, you shouldn't have." She tried to glare at him and failed. His expression was too…confused? She couldn't quite think of the word, but it was one that was hard to be mad at. She had, after all, kissed him back before pulling away. He had every right to be confused. For a moment.

"I'm sorry."

Kagome stared at him. "Please, just don't."

She stood and began to walk as quickly as she could back to her home. Unfortunately, he could easily keep up with her. "Kagome, don't leave. I shouldn't have done that. It's just that you're so…"

"So what?" she snapped, spinning to face him.

Bad idea. He searched her eyes for a moment before deciding, "You liked it. I know you did."

She hesitated. This is where turning to face him is labeled as a bad idea. He took this hesitation to try and prove he was right again—he quickly reached up his hands to weave them through her hair and kissed her.

This time, she was _almost_ ready for it. As wrong as it felt, she still pulled away after just a couple seconds. "Are you even _listening_ to me? I told you not to do that!"

She put her hands on his shoulders and made him back up a few paces. Then she returned to the spot she had been standing. "Stay," she said firmly.

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing to the very dog-like command. "I'm going home, and don't you even _think_ of trying to stop me or following me. Okay?"

He nodded his head slowly, trying no to smile. She narrowed her eyes at him before nearly jogging down the street and around the corner, out of his sight. As he stood and stared at the spot he had last seen her, he smirked and started walking in the same direction back towards his own home.

She would have to get her bag sometime.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Blah. Writer's block plus laziness is not a good combination. Big thanks to xxRockerElla for helping me out with some suggestions of how to continue after that last very…(cough) eventful chapter.

(did you know recap is short for recapitulation? I learned that from my biology teacher)

Recap: _She narrowed her eyes at him before nearly jogging down the street and around the corner, out of his sight. As he stood and stared at the spot he had last seen her, he smirked and started walking in the same direction back towards his own home._

She would have to get her bag sometime.

**Chapter 11**

Inuyasha was walking into his door when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Odd…his mother was standing right there in the kitchen.

"Inuyasha, what did you do?" Izayoi asked without looking up. Her voice stayed the same, even tone. She could have been asking about the weather.

Before he could answer, Kagome appeared around the corner that led to the hallway and stairs on the opposite side of the kitchen, her bag in her hands. She froze for a fleeting second before her face went smooth and blank. She began walking across the kitchen without looking at him. He stood in front of the door.

"Can't you stay longer, dear?" Izayoi asked, finally looking up from her cooking.

"No. Sorry, but…I'm needed at home," Kagome quickly said.

She rushed towards the door but stopped and stared at the ground. Inuyasha had to move, or else she would have to talk to him. Something she would vehemently refuse to do right now.

When she had waited for nearly a minute, she became impatient and tried to shove past him. She tried as hard as she could to make very little physical contact with him. It was difficult. And she couldn't get to the door handle.

"Kagome—"

"Please move," she said in a scary calm voice. She looked up and met his eyes. There was a frightening fire that burned in her eyes; an unspoken threat.

He stepped aside. She swiftly left, the door not quite slamming behind her.

That burning fury in her eyes had actually shaken him, and he would've done whatever it took to avoid whatever threat they promised.

What the hell had he done? How could he have ruined whatever form of friendship they'd started to have so quickly? He felt like a huge idiot.

"What did you do, Inuyasha?" his mother repeated. She set the spoon she'd been stirring with on the counter and turned to him. "What have you done to that girl to make her so upset?"

"N-nothing…," he said. He became suddenly intrigued with the polished counter top.

"Inuyasha," she said firmly. "I know she wasn't needed at her home. And she didn't come back with you. What happened?"

Was there really any point in trying to lie or avoid it?

"I don't know," he mumbled without looking at her, and then made a bee line for the stairs and then his room.

--

Kagome groaned inwardly as she walked to her first class. She wanted it to be anything else but this class. _He_ was in this class.

Sango seemed to notice her friend's resentful mood as they walked into class. "Is something wrong, Kagome?"

When she said Kagome's name, a certain head snapped to the doorway. Kagome looked to her friend, but caught the movement from the corner of her eye. She ignored it.

"No, no," she said, trying to feign a normal mood. She smiled and it looked totally and completely fake; a poignant failure.

Sango began making her way to her seat, giving Kagome a sideways glance. Kagome's feet dragged as she made her way to her seat. She pulled a notebook out and began doodling meticulously on it, directing any extra attention into her silly drawings. When the teacher came in, she took meticulous notes. She took notes on most lectures, but these could have been mistaken for word-for-word.

The bell rang and she hurriedly left the room, making sure she was right by Sango. Inuyasha wouldn't approach her unless she was alone. Of that Kagome was fairly sure.

But then again…she hadn't seen the move (or is it moves?) he made at the park coming. He was just unpredictable, then? Kagome became even more dejected by the correction of her assumption. She prayed he would leave her alone if she ignored him long enough.

Lunch was a disaster, in Kagome's eyes. He had been careful to get in line right behind her, and she could feel his eyes on her the whole time. It was rather intimidating. She tried to be very careful in pretending her wasn't there.

And then he made that exceedingly difficult, OF COURSE. When she turned to head to her table, considering sprinting there, he _happened_ to be right in her way. She ran into him and her tray went right into his chest. He caught it before it could flip up and spill all over her.

As she met his gaze for an oddly silent second, she was quite upset. Then she blushed furiously, grabbed her tray from him, and tried to walk around him.

It turned into one of those annoyingly awkward moments where you both go the same direction to go around each other (and nearly run into each other), and then at the same time go in the other direction.

They both went the same way four times before Inuyasha reached out and grabbed the side of Kagome's arm. He couldn't keep the expression off his face when she flinched away, but he held on. He pulled her to his left and he stepped to the right. They both headed in their own direction.

_Well, at least he left me alone,_ thought Kagome. It was bad enough that so many people had watched the uncomfortable exchange. She knew he must have meant to try and talk to her, but maybe he thought he'd embarrassed her in front of a school enough for one day.

For this, she was grateful…for a second. But unavoidable thoughts of the day before clouded her mind with a lesser form of her anger from yesterday and wiped out the gratitude.

When she sat down, several of her friends were looking at her curiously.

Sango asked in a low voice, "What was all that about?"

Kagome was scowling. "A park," she ground out before taking a vicious bite of her sandwich.

Sango gave her a confused look, but Kagome was glaring at the empty center of the table and chewing.

Kagome's sandwich was the only poor victim of her anger for now.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** It's here, isn't it? I wrote it, didn't I? Eventually…no complaints…(runs away)

**Chapter 12**

Oh, this week was just going swimmingly. Kissed by Inuyasha, awkward and embarrassing situation at lunch the next day, and now THIS.

Kagome stared at Inuyasha in white hot fury. She would kill him. She'd do the time, it was worth it.

Really, did he have to do this in front of everybody? He couldn't have dragged her off to some secluded hallway…nope, never mind. Secluded equals bad. Plus his plan would have failed miserably then (no witnesses).

"Kagome, please?" he said again.

Oh yay, people were staring at her expectantly. Either she said yes to going out with him on a date and have to deal with him, or she said no and everyone would give her dirty looks the rest of the year. He totally planned this, the clever bastard.

She tried to put on a nice face, if only for the audience (people in the cafeteria, to be exact. They'd all abandoned their lunches just to watch), and said a strained, "Okay."

Inuyasha smirked. He'd cornered her. And he'd known it would work. In private, she could easily say no. But, though she'd probably never admit it, she liked to please people. She just wouldn't want to be hated for the last year of high school. It was understandable.

Honestly, it was brilliant. Some people were applauding! And the look on her face was priceless. Albeit a tad frightening, but worth it. He stepped down from the chair he'd used as a platform to proclaim his desire to take her out on a date, and grabbed her arm before she could run away.

"Public displays of affection are always crowd-pleasers, Kagome," he murmured to her. She flushed a deeper shade of red and glared at him. Before she could protest, he hugged her.

_A crowd-pleaser_, Kagome thought indignantly.

Indeed.

--

Sigh.

_Life, why do you hate me?_

Kagome scowled at the full length mirror. _"Wear something nice_," he'd said.

Oh, she would get the advantage. She at first was planning on wearing a totally unflattering turtle neck and slacks, but she changed her mind last minute. She would get revenge, if that's what it took to get him to leave her alone.

So, instead, she wore a tight red dress. It went down to six inches above her knee and hugged her curves with a flattering v-neck. With it she wore strappy silver stilettos—the better to stab him in the foot with. Her hair was curled perfectly. Her lips were painted red. And her eyelashes coated with mascara.

Boy, would he be sorry he chose Kagome to mess with. He couldn't possibly be this desperate to go out with her. Once she tortured him and denied him everything he could ever want from her, she would have her peace.

So, as she momentarily teetered on the six-inch-heels, she nodded once, taking a deep breath, and prepared herself. Grabbing a small, beaded black clutch in which she'd stored her phone and some other stuff she would need, she made her way downstairs.

She waited in the entryway so that she could open the door and have the satisfaction of seeing Inuyasha's reaction. Or, wait…would an entrance look better? Yes, definitely. She quickly went to sit in the closest room, and when she heard the doorbell ring promptly at 7 o'clock, she smiled to herself.

Her mother answered the door. She greeted Inuyasha, he complimented her, she said "What a fine young man you are," blah, blah, blah.

"Kagome!" her mother finally called.

_Showtime!_

She rose and smoothed her dress where it had bunched up a bit. She cleared her throat, and walked as sexily as she could, swaying her hips in an unfamiliar manner, and came around the corner. She watched Inuyasha's face carefully.

It took every bit of her strength to not double over in laughter.

First, she had the intense satisfaction of wiping that arrogant smirk clean off his face. Then his eyes widened more than marginally, and his jaw dropped with a faint popping noise.

_WORTH IT. Totally and completely worth the pain_, she thought triumphantly. But she couldn't do her victory dance yet. She still had to get through the evening. She suppressed a shudder at the thought that this could take more than one date…which, knowing him, it would.

"Hello, Inuyasha," she said, trying to add just a hint of huskiness to her tone. She couldn't fully do this temptress thing with her mother right there.

"Oh, Kagome! Don't you look lovely!"

A small smirk pulled at Kagome's lips. She knew her mother wouldn't care how she dressed. She was just excited Kagome was going on a date. It wasn't something she did often and she openly complained about it when she had to.

"Thank you, Mama. We won't be home too late, I promise." Kagome smiled sweetly, and when she looked back to Inuyasha he had at least closed his mouth. She saw his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed and cleared his throat.

Once Kagome looked at the rest of him, no longer focused on solely his expression, she hated to admit that he looked damn good.

"We should get going, Kagome," he said, and Kagome was disappointed his voice didn't squeak or crack like a pubescent little 13-year-old. "Seven-thirty reservation."

"Right, we should get going," she echoed. She stared at him, just to unnerve him. Her lips twitched in the effort to keep a straight face. His eyes darted away from her after several seconds.

"It was nice to meet you, Ms. Higurashi," he said politely, but he couldn't look away from Kagome for too long.

"You too, dear. You two have fun!"

Kagome walked up to him, her hips still swaying in slightly exaggerated movements (but _he_ didn't know that it was on purpose!). Kagome felt quite evil as she hugged his arm and leaned into him. She felt his whole body tense for a split second. Oh, this would be interesting.

--

Kagome stared in shock at the fancy, _expensive_ restaurant they were approaching. Oh. He was good. He was very good. But he'd had more experience—there was the understatement of the century.

But she was a woman. This stuff was, like, instinctive, right? How hard could it be?

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Of course it would be hard. This was _Inuyasha_! He made everything more difficult. The stubborn ass…

They were shown to a very private area, though he hadn't gone so far as to get a whole private room. For this, Kagome was grateful. She hoped she could keep up this whole femme fatale façade the whole night. It was wearing on her fast. More specifically, her feet hurt.

She decided to play the shy card for now. She looked down at her menu, glancing up to meet his gaze—which she could feel boring into her at all times—and quickly looking away with a timid little smile. She even giggled once. She felt quite proud of herself.

When it came time to order, Inuyasha had barely glanced at his menu, which he held open in front of him.

Okay, he was _this close_ to saying something, _this close_. This was NOT the Kagome he thought he knew. This was a completely different, _sexy_ side of her…

_New thoughts, new thoughts, new__—_

"And for you, sir?" said the waiter, turning to Inuyasha.

"Huh?" he said stupidly. Kagome giggled.

"What can I get you for this evening?"

"Oh, right, uh…" He picked the first thing he saw on the menu. "Grilled salmon."

"Very good choice, sir. Your meals should be ready within thirty minutes." The waiter drifted off to some other area, but neither was paying attention.

Kagome stared at him, hoping her eyes looked smoldering or something like that. She smiled a half smile and he narrowed his eyes ever-so-slightly.

_Okay_, Inuyasha told himself. _Ignore the cleavage, she does not have on an expression fit for the bedroom, this is not the reeaaal__—_

Kagome leaned forward, her cleavage _quite_ in his line of sight, and she was biting her lip and her foot was nudging his a bit and…and…he just couldn't take it anymore, dammit!

He leaned forward, suspicious. "What are you doing, Kagome?" he whispered huskily.

Her expression went blank and she straightened up, and she tilted her head a tad to the side. "What do you mean?" she replied, almost matching his tone that was more appropriate for a bedroom scene. "Am I making you…_uncomfortable_?"

She looked at him with sultry, half-lidded eyes. Daring him to make the next move.

"Not at all, but…this isn't normal Kagome I'm seeing here."

"Are you trying to say I don't look nice?" she asked, feigning offense.

"Of course not. You look…well, you look better than nice. But you didn't have to get all prettied up for my benefit." He smirked at her.

She narrowed her eyes fiercely at him. "You think this is all for _you_?"

"Who else?"

"Can't I just do something nice for myself?" Truthfully, this wasn't her idea of fun or nice for herself, as her heel and little toe were sore and she was trying not to move certain ways in the dress, so as to not give him advantageous _angles_. "Besides, what makes you think you're getting any part of me?"

He could look all he wanted, all she could do to stop him from that was blind him with her salad fork, but he was not going to lay a hand on her.

He straightened up a bit. They'd leaned so far over the sides of the tables their noses nearly touched.

She wouldn't get a rise out of him. He wouldn't let her. She was testing him…he didn't know how or why, but she was. He just had to figure out what and what not to do…

He lifted his chin. "You sound sure of yourself," he said.

She glared at him. "I am."

She leaned forward farther, and he did too, without realizing it. If they leaned just a little bit farther, their lips might just lightly touch…

"I'm not going to play any more of your little _games_, Inuyasha," she said frostily. "You tricked me into a date; this is a date. I didn't promise to be your girlfriend or a little fling or whatever the hell you're getting at."

"Why do you lie to yourself, Kagome?" He shook his head disdainfully. Then he smirked, his mood lightening. "You know you want me."

"I do not!" Kagome replied quickly, annoyed. "I would never and I will never want you!"

"Hmm. One might say you're _overly_ defensive." He toyed with his silverware a bit, slyly glancing up to see her reaction.

"_You__—_you…" She couldn't think of a good insult, so she just glared at him some more. Well, this was going _fabulously_.

"Why are you so against me?" he asked, truly curious but able to hide it.

"Because, you…" She paused. Why _was_ she so against him? "Because, if I let myself believe you actually want me…"

She couldn't finish. She could feel his intense gaze. She knew he was waiting for her to finish. But she just couldn't.

"Never mind," she mumbled, focusing on the empty space on the white-clothed table in front of her. She'd never planned this. She was supposed to keep closed off from him, but he could crack her careful barriers so easily.

"Kagome, I don't want to hurt you. Is it really so hard to believe that I…"

Huh, it seemed both of our lovely characters were having trouble finishing their sentences on this night.

Inuyasha watched Kagome as she tried to toughen herself back up. They sat in silence for a moment. Kagome excused herself to the ladies' room.

While in the ladies' room, Kagome stared at herself in the mirror. She told herself that she could handle one little evening with him. Really, was he _so_ unbearable?

_He_ wasn't. But the things he did were. He looked at her like she was important, but there was an underlying emotion that she couldn't figure out, that scared her, that made her suspicious.

What if he really was going to hurt her? He hadn't said, "I _won't_ hurt you," he'd said, "I _don't want_ _to_ hurt you." It was a difference that made Kagome slightly panicked, though she couldn't quite explain why. And it made her wish he'd just left her alone for the rest of her stupid high school years.

But did she really want to be the girl nobody remembered? No. She wanted someone to notice her, but…why Inuyasha? Why now? They'd gone to school together since sixth grade, but he'd barely acknowledged her until now.

And so, with a determined glint in her eye, Kagome vowed that she would not give in to his kind words, because he must have some sort of scheme that would end badly for her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

When Kagome returned to the table, Inuyasha could tell something was different. He didn't try to press her on it though. He could tell she was becoming miserable, and he hated that it was his fault.

He just couldn't figure out why she despised him so much. What did he do?

Okay, so he knew what he did; he ignored her all those years, and on top of that, he was a total heart-breaking jackass for most of his life. Maybe she wasn't so strange to be so wary of him.

She was silent as she ate her meal, which bugged the hell out of him. He wondered what was going through that pretty little head of hers.

"Kagome?" he asked hesitantly.

Kagome tensed, keeping her eyes trained on the plate in front of her. "What?"

He was disheartened by her reaction to him. He paused for so long that Kagome looked at him. "Never mind," he mumbled.

He noticed when her brows furrowed in confusion. The rest of their dinner was a stretch of silence, and he paid swiftly when the bill arrived.

He opened the door of his car for her, and drove her home. When he pulled into her driveway, she went to open the door, but stopped.

"Inuyasha…"

"Yeah?" he asked, slightly defeated but a bitterness underlying his tone.

"Sorry if I sort of ruined this for you. But…just, don't call me, okay?" She sounded exhausted.

"Keh," he replied, glaring out the windshield. He saw her nod slightly out of the corner of his eye, and she reached for the handle. "Kagome," he groaned before she could get out. She turned her big doe-eyes on him. "It's my fault. Don't worry about it. I won't bother you anymore."

She didn't say anything to that, just got out and walked slowly to her house. He thought like he should have kissed her, one last time. Just to remember what it felt like. She probably would've gotten mad, but he didn't care about that part.

--

On Monday, Kagome slumped tiredly into her seat in her first class of the day. Sango watched her quizzically, which Kagome ignored. Several people, who had rarely acknowledged Kagome before that ridiculous lunch scene last week, greeted her as they walked past.

When Inuyasha came in, he didn't look at her and sat on the farthest row, close to the window, and behind some random pretty girl. Kagome, for some bizarre reason she could not explain, felt a little guilty and saddened that he was ignoring her.

The day, as all Mondays, passed slowly, dragging. Kagome walked home with Sango, who had gotten some but few details about the infamous date out of Kagome by then.

"Really, Sango," Kagome was saying for the umpteenth time, "it wasn't that great. I didn't want to be there, and we barely talked, so it was really just awkward."

"So…nothing happened?" Sango asked tentatively.

"Nothing," Kagome repeated. She had an ingenious way to turn the spotlight to Sango. "So, Sango, when are you going out with Miroku?"

"W-What?" Sango squeaked, turning a nameless shade of red.

"Oh, come on, how many times has he asked you out now? You know you want to, just go for it! I went out with Inuyasha, didn't I? The least you could do is provide me with something interesting to talk about."

"Well…," Sango said nervously. "I guess it wouldn't hurt…But he's such a pervert! I don't want to spend a night beating up some guy for groping me! That no way to live!"

Kagome laughed at Sango's exclamation and serious expression; it was very true that Sango would be able to beat someone up if provoked.

--

Later that evening, Kagome was laying on her bed and staring at her ceiling.

And then, before she really thought anything through, she was walking out her front door and up the street.

She rang the doorbell of the gorgeous white house she'd arrived at and waited, starting to think that _maybe_ this wasn't the best of ideas.

When the door swung open, Kagome was surprised it was actually Inuyasha who answered. He froze and stared at her.

"Hi," she said weakly.

"Um…hi," he replied.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Uh…" He glanced back into the house. She wondered if he was eating dinner. "Yeah, sure."

He stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him. She sat down on the cement steps of the front porch, and Inuyasha sat down uncertainly too, a foot away from her.

"So, I know that Friday was just…well, horrible, if I'm being honest, and I know some of that was my fault, but it was your fault too, but I was feeling really bad about how we ended things, you know? I shouldn't have been so childish, you just wanted to have dinner, but…" Kagome was rambling, but she couldn't stop herself from plowing on. "Don't you think it was a bad way to settle things? I do. And then I was feeling just so _guilty_ during school today, I have no idea why, but I was just now laying in my room and thinking that maybe…maybe we should try being friends?"

Inuyasha stayed silent. He seemed to be waiting.

"I'm done now," Kagome told him.

"…Friends," he repeated, staring at the patch of sidewalk in front of him.

"Yes," Kagome said, pressing her lips together. "Friends."

"That's—I—I'd like that," he said, and Kagome let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

"Really? You're sure?"

"Yeah," he said. He sensed what she was thinking when he saw her expression. "I won't try anything, I promise. I _do_ know how to behave."

"Do you?" Kagome asked, her voice raising a few octaves. "Because if you can't, this won't work."

"Come on, Kagome," he said, his tone lightening. "Don't you trust me?"

"No, not really, no," she replied bluntly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh."

"Yeah…," she said awkwardly. "But, really, can you blame me?"

He tilted his head and half-smiled. "No, I guess not."

"Exactly. So, um…shall we shake on it?"

"Sure." He reached for her outstretched hand, but she pulled back.

"Do you promise you won't try to make this friendship into something more?"

"Yes," said Inuyasha, a slightly exasperated tone to his answer.

"And you will not embarrass me like you did last week?"

She could tell he was smirking, even in the near-darkness.

"I can't promise that," he told her.

She seethed for a short moment. "Fine."

And they shook hands, Inuyasha's hand feeling oddly comforting to her.

_Bad head_, she thought. _Bad_._ No more ridiculous thoughts like that._

_--_

**A/N: **You want excuses? Check out Chapter 21 of _My Captain, My Love_, because I'm not rewriting them. All I'm saying is I was lazy and uninspired (in other words, I had writer's block). But I'm trying to do better. Why else would I have finished this chapter? Even if it is really short. Better than nothing, I'd say. You want more to read, then look at my other stories!

If you do look at my other stories, I will say right now that the only ones likely to be updated very much is this one (_Flipped_), _My Captain, My Love_, and _Life or Love_. So…have fun with that! That last one is brand new, I'd like if someone told me their opinion of it!

Review, but I don't blame you if you are annoyed I waited like two and a half months to update. But I've seen worse! Thanks for baring with me, and for reading my long rambles if anyone is in fact still reading. Ttfn!


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